Bengals Rookie Describes 'Surreal' Moment After Meeting Joe Burrow For First Time

Bengals rookie offensive lineman Brian Parker II is settling into his opening campaign in the NFL this fall.

The Cincinnati native is well aware of how impactful Joe Burrow's been as the team's star quarterback this decade. Parker broke down the moment he met Burrow for the first time while appearing on First Word with James Rapien last week.

Burrow did the classic "Hi, I'm Joe" greeting he's stuck to throughout his NFL career.

"Kind of caught me off guard. I was talking with Ted (Karras) and some of the vets, because the whole line, our lockers are here, and then Joe's on the other side. So I was talking all of a sudden I got a pat on the shoulder. Look over, Joe daps me up. He's like, 'Hey, I'm Joe, nice to meet you, glad to have you here.' Obviously growing up in Cincy, being a Bengals fan and stuff like that, that's a pretty surreal moment."

Experience Incoming

Dec 14, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals center Ted Karras (64) and guard Dylan Fairchild (63) and offensive tackle Orlando Brown (75) line up for a play during the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images | Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Parker brings a lot of tackle experience to the table after All-AAC seasons each of the past two years.

He started 33 games over four seasons at Duke and is ready to tackle whatever role is needed to protect his new quarterback.

"Just the whole being the fan and growing up and seeing like those championship seasons we had, like, how alive the city felt," Parker said. "For any quarterback, you want to give your all, and so, whether it's Joe or whoever else is back there, or whoever I've blocked for in the past, you give your all, that's your one job as an offensive lineman to make sure he's healthy, he's upright, he's making plays, because everyone wants to see him, nobody wants to see me."

A few people who have wanted to see Parker are veterans like Karras and Orlando Brown Jr., who are doing their job and then some by helping mentor the youngsters.

"Ted was one of the first people to reach out when I got drafted," Parker said. "He's been awesome, and as a guy learning the interior, kind of a little backup center-guard, whatever they need me to do, he's been super helpful as far as kind of the tricks and ways to remember stuff in the offense, and all those little plays got an adjustment, so being able to kind of word play it so that hits in your brain. He's been awesome with that.

"And then OB (Orlando Brown) at tackle, he's an awesome resource for me, especially somebody who's played for so long and at such a high level as he has. He's got a lot of tricks and stuff that he does really well, and ways to think about moving and getting your body loaded pre-snap and being comfortable out there and not doing everything in a cookie-cutter way."

The new baking templates are continuing to get ingrained into Parker this summer and beyond.

Check out the full conversation on First Word below:

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