Joe Burrow has the Bengals' offense 'running on all cylinders'
CINCINNATI — Joe Burrow looked the part on Monday morning, as the media was allowed to watch the Bengals practice for the first time in 2020.
The 23-year-old brought the energy. He ran from one side of the field to the other after finishing his portion of a throwing drill, all while emulating the same routes that his wide receivers were running just a few seconds prior.
His passes were crisp and accurate. He threw with touch, but there was plenty of speed behind each pass.
Some were critical of Burrow's arm strength during the pre-draft process. He had plenty of velocity on each one of his passes.
That doesn't mean he was perfect. He missed Joe Mixon in the flat and was off-target on a few of his throws. Despite the misses, he still had an impressive day.
Burrow completed every pass during one of the 7-on-7 periods. He also spread the ball around to established players like Tyler Boyd and under-the-radar guys like Mike Thomas during 11-on-11.
Burrow's stellar play has impressed multiple veterans on the team, including defensive end Sam Hubbard.
"He’s really impressed a lot of guys with how he’s walking around the building, his demeanor, how he’s carrying himself, how he feels the sense of urgency to be a leader of the offense," said Hubbard, who was teammates with Burrow at Ohio State. "I think everyone’s been impressed with how he communicates, how he understands the offense. Because when the [first-team] offense goes out there, it’s a challenge. They’re running on all cylinders. That’s not something you’d expect to see with a rookie quarterback."
Burrow's command of the huddle was praised by two of his starting offensive linemen, including seven-year veteran Xavier Su'a-Filo.
“To be honest with you, I forget sometimes he’s [Burrow] a rookie,” Su'a-Filo said. “He carries himself real well.”
The offense didn't take many shots downfield. That could be strictly because of personnel. With John Ross on the reserve/COVID-19 list and Tee Higgins hobbled, the Bengals' receiver depth was already being tested prior to Monday's practice.
That was before A.J. Green was removed from action for "precautionary" reasons after he appeared to tweak his left hamstring during 11-on-11 drills.
Despite missing pieces on offense, Burrow still made plays. He looked the part. His command, presence and demeanor are all things that his teammates have praised in recent weeks.
"That’s one of the most impressive things about him is that he hasn’t changed at all," Hubbard said. "He has the same mentality as he was as a third-string back-up at Ohio State as a freshman, still fighting every day to get on the field and get his name known. He takes that mentality and level-headedness of where he’s been to where he’s at now."
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