Burrow’s Ability Should Allow Bengals To Prioritize Roster Balance Over More Weapons
Syndication: The Enquirer
For the last three seasons, the Cincinnati Bengals have had the best trio of wide receivers in the NFL.
Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd have been by Joe Burrow’s side as the Bengals made two straight AFC title game appearances in the last three years. Fans have gotten accustomed to this fantasy football dream offense to the point that some think the Bengals wouldn’t function without elite weapons.
As the draft nears everyone is asking who will replace Boyd and potentially Higgins.
The real question is – have we forgotten who our quarterback is?
Bow & Arrow from Joe Burrow. Dime. pic.twitter.com/7rTlUMm4NI
— Charlie Clifford (@char_cliff) November 12, 2023
Joe Burrow is, when healthy, a top 3-5 quarterback in the NFL. He has the ability to elevate the receivers around him, even if they aren’t among the NFL’s elite. Case in point – in the above clip, the touchdown he threw was to Trenton Irwin.
When the primary focus isn’t a fantasy football-style roster, it allows a franchise to balance out the rest of their squad. Having a truly elite quarterback like Burrow gives the Bengals that luxury, especially in a league where the wide receiver market is exploding in cost.
For example, the Chiefs traded Tyreek Hill for a litany of draft picks in 2022. Fans wondered whether Patrick Mahomes would be the same quarterback, even though he still had Travis Kelce to throw to. With that trade, they drafted 2023 First Team All-Pro DB Trent McDuffie, among other players. Perhaps even more importantly, the move freed up money that they would have spent on Tyreek Hill and invested it elsewhere. On their offensive line, Joe Thuney, who they signed in 2021, and Jawaan Taylor, who was signed in 2023, are the two highest paid Chiefs after Patrick Mahomes. On defense, they were able to retain the cornerstone of their team, Chris Jones, on a massive blockbuster deal.
This exact philosophy enabled the Chiefs to have one of the NFL’s best defenses. In 2023, they ranked second in scoring defense, second in total yards allowed per game, fourth in passing yards allowed per game, eighth in red zone defense, and tenth in third down defense. On top of their elite defense, they have the NFL’s best quarterback in Patrick Mahomes.
After trading Tyreek Hill and balancing out their team, the Chiefs have won two straight Super Bowls. Mahomes has also taken home an MVP award.
The Dolphins, meanwhile, took on Hill’s contract and paired him with Jaylen Waddle to give Tua Tagovailoa a litany of weapons around him. Tua’s game has obviously improved and the Dolphins became more explosive. However, many wonder whether he’s worth a massive contract extension, especially considering he’s primarily produced when he’s had an all-world receiver duo around him.
The Dolphins’ financial situation in dire straits, as they’ve had to cut ties with Christian Wilkins and Robert Hunt, who both went on to sign nine figure contrats elsewhere. With Waddle also due for an extension, they have to figure out if they think Tua is worth gambling on, or if they need to start from scratch and find a new signal caller.
The Bengals, luckily, are not in that position.
We have signed QB Joe Burrow to a contract extension through the 2029 season.
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) September 9, 2023
They have one of the NFL’s best QBs locked in to an extension, and they are also nearly guaranteed to give another huge bag to Chase. It will give Cincinnati the NFL’s best QB-WR duo for the foreseeable future.
The issue with Joe Burrow’s career in Cincinnati has never been a lack of weapons, or even his ability as a playmaking QB. He doesn’t need GM Duke Tobin to trade for Justin Jefferson or draft Brock Bowers or Brian Thomas to give the Bengals their elusive Super Bowl victory. What the Bengals actually need is to balance themselves out so the entire team isn’t one dimensional. Even with the Chiefs’ struggling targets (they led the NFL in dropped passes in 2023 with 44), their balanced team and star QB still took home a Lombardi.
Burrow’s primary issue has been the protection around him. His elite level of play is there when he’s healthy; it’s just that keeping him protected that has been the issue. While big investments are being made in an effort to improve the offensive line, Burrow still went down with a season ending wrist injury in 2023. They’ve gone in favor of veteran talent as opposed to the draft to protect their big investment, and the 2024 offseason may actually see the Bengals go in both directions to improve his protection.
https://twitter.com/andrewwt101/status/1770139774692520298
In the event that Tyler Boyd leaves in 2024, or if Tee Higgins leaves in 2025, a day two selection can be used on a receiver. Cincinnati has one selection in round two and two selections in round three, and they’ve historically struck oil with day two receivers. In addition to Boyd and Higgins, receivers like Chad Johnson, Mohamed Sanu, Carl Pickens, Darnay Scott, Cris Collinsworth, and the late Chris Henry were all selected in rounds 2-3 of the draft by the Bengals.
Hypothetically, if the Bengals acquired another pricey player like Justin Jefferson, big sacrifices would have to be made elsewhere. A roster that consists of Chase, Burrow, and Jefferson would be fun, but those three players alone would take up an all-too sizable portion of the salary cap. Allocating your resources to your entire team, however, would maximize play on both sides of the ball and allow Joe Burrow to make the most of who he throws the ball to, no matter who it is.
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