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The Cincinnati Bengals have more room to get creative this offseason.
A year ago, the team was simply doing its best to shove some LSU concepts into the playbook to get rookie passer Joe Burrow as ready as possible to play after an odd summer and preseason-less fall.
This year will still be odd, but Burrow’s something of a veteran and new (and returning) line coach Frank Pollack could make some big changes to the running game.
Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan explained the situation, per Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com:
“The process of the offseason, as different as it was last year, probably lent itself a little bit more to the pass game just because you had to get a young quarterback ready to play. I think we’ll be able to spend more time on the details of everything.”
Pollack’s return and the attention shifting away from making the passing game as cozy as possible could mean a big return of the wide zone scheme — the scheme Joe Mixon happens to excel at.
Callahan himself says the Bengals were nearly league leaders in tight zone attempts last season. The results…speak for themselves.
Considering Zac Taylor ran those concepts in Los Angeles, Mixon has thrived under Pollack in them in the past and the offensive line could get a massive talent upgrade via free agency and the draft, some playbook scheme shifts could produce a much better supporting running game for Burrow in 2021.
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