CINCINNATI — The scene inside the Cincinnati Bengals’ locker room resembled the aftermath of a mid-week practice in the fall.
Quarterback Joe Burrow, seated at his locker, with his chair turned to face the middle of the room, slightly hunched over, analyzed one of the team’s offseason workouts. This day featured a gorgeous ball in a 7-on-7 drill to wide receiver Andrei Iosivas, perfectly squeezed between three converging defenders.
It looked as sharp as Burrow has ever looked in the spring. But when presented with that notion, he shook his head from side to side. Even when it seems to be good enough, in his mind, there is always another level for him to hit.
That was a common theme for him this offseason. Despite having an MVP-caliber season and coming back from an unprecedented wrist injury, Burrow believes he can do more. And he knows that’s what it will take to restore the Bengals as a playoff contender.
“At the end of the day, you win and lose with your quarterback play,” Burrow said at the start of the team’s mandatory minicamp in mid-June. “I’m going to take that to heart and be better this year.”
That is a pretty high bar to clear. Last season, Burrow led the NFL in passing yards (4,918) and passing touchdowns (43). He was an MVP finalist and won Comeback Player of the Year for the second time in his career.
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But a further examination of the numbers, specifically in the fourth quarter, could explain why Burrow believes there’s still room to grow.
In 2024, Burrow was third in Total QBR (74.7). But in the fourth quarter, Burrow’s QBR dropped to 12th at 62.8. While he did have 12 touchdowns in the final quarter, he also threw five interceptions — as many as Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson combined, according to ESPN Research.
To be fair, those other three quarterbacks played on significantly better teams. Burrow and the Bengals had to drag themselves out of a 4-8 start to the season while the other squads chased a Super Bowl, which Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles eventually won.
There’s also a matter of Burrow’s performance when throwing into tight windows. When a receiver has a yard of separation or less by the time the ball arrives, Burrow posted the second-worst Total Expected Points Added in those situations (-54.4), according to Next Gen Stats. Only new Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith was worse.
That adds greater context to the dazzling throw Burrow to Iosivas in the 7-on-7 drill in the offseason. Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said Burrow has been eyeing the ability to squeeze the ball into those situations.
“I just see a guy that’s seen a lot of football, played a lot of football and has no fear whatsoever,” Pitcher said on June 11. “Total comfort and confidence in himself and in his skill set. And if there’s a window, he’s gonna throw the ball. Doesn’t matter how big it [is].”
Throughout offseason workouts, Burrow spent extra time throwing on the team’s practice fields after the day’s session had wrapped up. The reasoning, he said, was to continually tweak his throwing motion, increase its efficiency and develop a good rhythm.
What was most fascinating was Burrow’s concession that he still isn’t fully recovered from his 2023 surgery to repair the scapholunate ligament in his throwing wrist, an injury that has not been documented in quarterbacks or baseball pitchers.
Burrow feels that he is making good progress in that pursuit of refinement.
“That’s what keeps you coming back when you’re improving,” Burrow said. “It sucks when you’re working really hard and you’re not seeing any improvement, but if you’re working smart then you usually do and that’s pretty addicting.”
A better Burrow could be what pushes the Bengals back into championship contention. The memories of the Super Bowl appearance at the end of the 2021 season and a return trip to the AFC Championship Game in 2022 feel distant after two straight nine-win campaigns that fell short of the playoffs.
Every rep in the offseason and training camp is geared toward getting the Bengals back to that point.
“We know the players we have in that room, coaches we have up there,” Burrow said. “We know the expectations we have for ourselves — playoffs, Super Bowl, AFC championship. That’s the expectation around here. We have to get back to it.”
