Joe Burrow Making Strides as Passer in Second Season

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow impressed during his rookie season, and it appears that he’s improved greatly while recovering from the torn ACL that he suffered in Week 11 of last season. 

Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan explained some of his expectations of Burrow, but he also revealed that the second-year signal-caller has a little more velocity on his throws heading into 2021.

"Nothing that Joe does at this point surprises me," Callahan said on Wednesday. "I’ve noticed quite a bit of improvement across the board, not just velocity. He spent a lot of time looking at the things he wanted to get better at from the season, both mentally and physically. And I think he’s done that over the course of the offseason program. He’s had a goal in mind of how he wanted to change his throwing motion and his mechanics—I shouldn’t say motion. But some of his footwork and stance and how he was going to some more velocity on the ball and all those things. And I think he’s done that. I have noticed it."

Callahan continued, "He’s throwing the ball with a little more velocity. It’s allowing him to maybe hang onto the ball an extra split second and be able to fit into a window a little bit later than he did a year ago. I think all those things are a positive. Obviously, it’s easy to do in 7-on-7 with no rush and all that, but all the things that he’s worked on has been really positive. I’m excited about where he’s headed and now we’ll get to put it all together here when we come back in about a month.”

While WynnBET has the Bengals projected to finish last in the AFC North, with +1500 odds to win the division, they could turn some heads if Burrow takes the next step this season.

As a rookie, Burrow threw for 2,688 yards and completed 65.3 percent of his passes. The Bengals didn’t win many games, but Burrow took care of the ball, as he tossed 13 touchdowns and only five picks in 10 games.

The Bengals’ win total projection is set at 6.5, with the under (-130) favoring the over (+130), which is still an improvement after they won just four games last season. They are a longshot to make the playoffs, as they have -650 odds to miss the postseason. 

This isn’t a make or break year for Burrow, but it could be for head coach Zac Taylor. With Joe Mixon healthy and Burrow under center, the Bengals’ offense should be very solid this season after drafting Ja’Marr Chase fifth overall. 

If Burrow can push the ball downfield more, it should open up the entire offense. Burrow has +650 odds to win the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year award, which has him tied for second with Saquon Barkley.

Burrow may be a steal at those odds if he can build on a successful rookie season.