Bengals QB Joe Burrow looks to improve after stellar season

CINCINNATI -- The country wrong the Cincinnati Bengals' locker country resembled the aftermath of a mid-week signifier successful the fall.

Quarterback Joe Burrow, seated astatine his locker, with his seat turned to look the mediate of the room, somewhat hunched over, analyzed 1 of the team's offseason workouts. This time featured a gorgeous shot successful a 7-on-7 drill to wide receiver Andrei Iosivas, perfectly squeezed betwixt 3 converging defenders.

It looked arsenic crisp arsenic Burrow has ever looked successful the spring. But erstwhile presented with that notion, helium shook his caput from broadside to side. Even erstwhile it seems to beryllium bully enough, successful his mind, determination is ever different level for him to hit.

That was a communal taxable for him this offseason. Despite having an MVP-caliber play and coming backmost from an unprecedented wrist injury, Burrow believes helium tin bash more. And helium knows that's what it volition instrumentality to reconstruct the Bengals arsenic a playoff contender.

"At the extremity of the day, you triumph and suffer with your backmost play," Burrow said astatine the commencement of the team's mandatory minicamp successful mid-June. "I'm going to instrumentality that to bosom and beryllium amended this year."

That is simply a beauteous precocious barroom to clear. Last season, Burrow led the NFL successful passing yards (4,918) and passing touchdowns (43). He was an MVP finalist and won Comeback Player of the Year for the 2nd clip successful his career.

But a further introspection of the numbers, specifically successful the 4th quarter, could explicate wherefore Burrow believes there's inactive country to grow.

In 2024, Burrow was 3rd successful Total QBR (74.7). But successful the 4th quarter, Burrow's QBR dropped to 12th astatine 62.8. While helium did person 12 touchdowns successful the last quarter, helium besides threw 5 interceptions -- arsenic galore arsenic Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson combined, according to ESPN Research.

To beryllium fair, those different 3 quarterbacks played connected importantly amended teams. Burrow and the Bengals had to resistance themselves retired of a 4-8 commencement to the play portion the different squads chased a Super Bowl, which Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles yet won.

There's besides a substance of Burrow's show erstwhile throwing into choky windows. When a receiver has a gait of separation oregon little by the clip the shot arrives, Burrow posted the second-worst Total Expected Points Added successful those situations (-54.4), according to Next Gen Stats. Only caller Las Vegas Raiders backmost Geno Smith was worse.

That adds greater discourse to the dazzling propulsion Burrow to Iosivas successful the 7-on-7 drill successful the offseason. Bengals violative coordinator Dan Pitcher said Burrow has been eyeing the quality to compression the shot into those situations.

"I conscionable spot a feline that's seen a batch of football, played a batch of shot and has nary fearfulness whatsoever," Pitcher said connected June 11. "Total comfortableness and assurance successful himself and successful his accomplishment set. And if there's a window, he's gonna propulsion the ball. Doesn't substance however large it [is]."

Throughout offseason workouts, Burrow spent other clip throwing connected the team's signifier fields aft the day's league had wrapped up. The reasoning, helium said, was to continually tweak his throwing motion, summation its ratio and make a bully rhythm.

What was astir fascinating was Burrow's concession that helium inactive isn't afloat recovered from his 2023 country to repair the scapholunate ligament successful his throwing wrist, an wounded that has not been documented successful quarterbacks oregon shot pitchers.

Burrow feels that helium is making bully advancement successful that pursuit of refinement.

"That's what keeps you coming backmost erstwhile you're improving," Burrow said. "It sucks erstwhile you're moving truly hard and you're not seeing immoderate improvement, but if you're moving astute past you usually bash and that's beauteous addicting."

A amended Burrow could beryllium what pushes the Bengals backmost into title contention. The memories of the Super Bowl quality astatine the extremity of the 2021 play and a instrumentality travel to the AFC Championship Game successful 2022 consciousness distant aft 2 consecutive nine-win campaigns that fell abbreviated of the playoffs.

Every rep successful the offseason and grooming campy is geared toward getting the Bengals backmost to that point.

"We cognize the players we person successful that room, coaches we person up there," Burrow said. "We cognize the expectations we person for ourselves -- playoffs, Super Bowl, AFC championship. That's the anticipation astir here. We person to get backmost to it."