Joe Burrow hasn't been able to do much on-field work with the Cincinnati Bengals this offseason due to the coronavirus pandemic. While the limited work could hamper Burrow in his rookie season, head coach Zac Taylor detailed a key advantage of prepping Burrow without a preseason.
“There’s a lot of advantages that we’re finding right now. Just the way we’re going to be able to structure practices and create more scrimmage situations,” he told reporters recently. “You consider in a pre-season game Joe Burrow maybe wouldn’t have gotten to play with a couple of guys that you’re holding out or don’t give many reps to. Whereas you can protect those guys in a scrimmage that you control a little bit better.”
The NFL and NFLPA recently agreed that the league would eliminate the preseason in 2020. On the other hand, teams will have extended training camps to prepare their players.
Similar to other rookies, Burrow could be behind on his development due to the unusual circumstance of the offseason. However, Taylor believes there is a silver lining for the Bengals.
Cincinnati has already expressed that they believe Burrow is ahead of schedule as a rookie. But showing his progress off of the field is a bit different than having success during live snaps.
Instead of a preseason, Taylor is going to hold more scrimmage-like drills for the Bengals in training camp. In doing so, it will allow Burrow to work with the guys that he'll be throwing to more often.
Coaches and executives around the NFL are concerned with the lack of preparation rookies have gotten this offseason. Even though the Bengals experienced the same thing as every other team, Taylor believes Cincinnati can make the most out of the abnormal situation.
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