The Cincinnati Bengals have some big plans for second-year running back Giovani Bernard, and their head coach has a grand vision for what Bernard can become. At the NFL owners meetings, Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis spoke about his young back and who he envisions Bernard growing into.

Marvin Lewis also said he envisions a second-year growth similar to Ray Rice from Gio Bernard. Says offseason big for growth.

— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) March 25, 2014

That’s a bold comparison, but it’s one that doesn’t feel that far off given how well Bernard played last season and his comparable size to Rice.

Cincinnati would love to get a Ray Rice player on the field, but Bernard still has a lot of work to do before he’s on that type of level. The good thing about that is a running back just needs a single season to explode and Bernard seems primed to exactly that in 2014.

Nothing is guaranteeing he’ll be a stud in 2014, as a sophomore slump could still happen, but Bernard has a lot going for him and it’s clear the Bengals are excited about what they have.