It is very common to see big name players become major distractions follow devastating injuries. The Cincinnati Bengals (following the injury of their elite quarterback) have clearly struggled on the field to establish any sort of offensive rhythm are quickly watching their playoff hopes dwindle away as their record has fallen to 5-6 for the season. Whenever a team in any sport faces a tough stretch, the absolute most important thing is veteran leadership.
Quarterback Joe Burrow shows Elite Quality
In his infinite free time following the soul-crushing ligament tear in his right wrist, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has shown that he can be a valuable member of the Cincinnati Bengals off of the field. Joe Burrow has started attending the Bengals’ defensive meetings in an attempt to become better versed in the ways that NFL defenses will try to stop him in the future.
Cincinnati Bengals’ Defensive Coach Takes Notice.
When a superstar quarterback (recently becoming the highest paid player in the NFL at a jaw-dropping 55 million dollars per year starts showing up to defensive meetings electively, it is safe to say that it surprised a lot of people in the Bengals’ organization, including defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo when he appeared on Up & Adams yesterday.
“It’s so funny you ask that question. He’s such a football junkie that he’s sitting in on defensive meetings just to see how that stuff goes so he can pick it up. He was in our third down install meeting this morning on defense. He’s interacting with the players. He’s one of a kind, that’s for sure.
Anarumo had a lot to say not only about the star quarterback showing up to a defensive meeting but also was impressed by Burrow’s understanding of the game.
“I asked him a question. He responded today very well. He made it very profound, ‘Hey, I would do this against that.’ And I didn’t expect anything else from him. He was terrific this morning.”
The Cincinnati Bengals’ Push on Without Joe Burrow
The Bengals are desperately missing their elite signal caller as they move on to the elite Jacksonville Jaguars defense this week. Burrow has been helping to prepare backup quarterback Jake Browning and clearly Burrow will be helping the defense prepare the rest of the way as well.
Cincinnati Salary Cap Concerns next Season
With the impending offseason, Cincinnati is certainly in a “win now” mentality. Burrow is expected to be back with Cincinnati to start the 2024 NFL season and the team will be looking dramatically different with the impending contract negotiations of top-shelf wide receivers Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd. Both Higgins and Boyd will be demanding salaries in the realm of 20 million per season which would be a major detriment to the Bengals salary cap situation. Higgins has proclaimed his desire to stay in Cincinnati while Boyd has been somewhat silent on the subject.
Cincinnati will Chase another contract extension this offseason
Another player that the Bengals will need to discuss a contract extension for will be their first string wide receiver all-pro Jamar Chase. Chase will be entering in to the fourth year of his contract and will be eligible for both the fifth-year option and a costly extension.
