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Cincinnati Bengals legend Boomer Esiason sees some parallels between LeBron James’ arrival to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Joe Burrow’s pending arrival to Cincinnati.
The Bengals, in need of a jolt, hold the first pick in the 2020 NFL draft and sit poised to take an Ohio kid who just happened to have one of the greatest seasons ever for a collegiate passer.
And for Esiason, Burrow’s homecoming offers some shades of LeBron going home to Cleveland during his own draft journey, per Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com:
“I equate him to when LeBron James came out of high school his senior year and the Cavaliers had the top pick. They had some good years under Larry Nance, but they were never thought of as the Bulls or the Lakers or Celtics. They were the Cleveland Cavaliers for God’s sake. He grew up in the shadow of Cleveland and brought them the championship. Now it’s Joe Burrow’s time. This is his time. He’s got to go home and get it straight and he’s the reason they get it straight. That’s the way it should be written and that’s the way he should be looking at it.”
Those Cavaliers weren’t much before LeBron. The Bengals haven’t been much lately either and have had serious problems with attendance and fan engagement, never mind the national perception issues.
If Burrow indeed ends up being the pick, the storyline alone will spur major upticks in attendance and engagement. Hope is a powerful thing and no prospect offers more than Burrow in 2020 for Cincinnati’s unique situation.
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