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The Cincinnati Bengals have an uncanny amount of great talent at the skill positions around rookie quarterback Joe Burrow.
Take away the oddities of this preseason and season and it’s arguably — on paper — one of the best set of circumstances a No. 1 passer has entered in a long, long time.
That’d be why one expert just tagged the Bengals as one of 2020’s sneaky-good offenses.
Here’s NFL Network’s Gregg Rosenthal:
“In the NFL today you need more than two or three receivers. This has really been the case the last four or five years. Let’s count them up in Cincinnati. You’ve got A.J. Green… future Hall of Famer. You’ve got Tyler Boyd…one of the best slot receivers in the league…Tee Higgins…I think he’s going to step up and be a great redzone weapon right away….Joe Mixon, one of the top five running backs in the entire NFL. Gio Bernard, an outstanding third receiver…No. 6 is John Ross, who in a fourth receiver role actually can make some plays…No. 7, Auden Tate…if you go through the rosters all around the league I don’t think there’s many who can come up with seven receivers that good.”
We’ve long pounded the table about the wealth of weapons surrounding Burrow right out of the gates.
There are a couple potential hiccups, though. One, the Zac Taylor-led offense has to squeeze the most out of Burrow. And they’re trying — which is why some coaches are talking about not wanting a Patrick Mahomes — they just want the absolute best version of Joe Burrow.
Two, the offensive line has to play better than it did last year. The coaches hope two additions to the line, highlighted by Jonah Williams, means better play. If it’s improved — again, on paper — Burrow’s weapons should feast after the catch on quick-hitting throws. Three, of course, is the health of guys like A.J. Green and John Ross.
For better or worse, the idea Burrow and the Bengals could be better than expected is starting to gain some mainstream steam.
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