LAKE FOREST, Ill. — When the Cincinnati Bengals drafted Joe Burrow with the first pick of the 2020 draft, there was no question what was going to happen next. There was no overthinking it.
No song and dance. No questions. Coach Zac Taylor anointed Burrow as the starter from the moment he was selected.
Advertisement In his 10-game rookie season — he tore his ACL and MCL in his left knee in November — Burrow completed 65 percent of his passes for 2,688 yards, 13 touchdowns and five interceptions. And one year later, he led the Bengals to the Super Bowl. The Bears are hoping they found their Burrow in Caleb Williams , a No.
1 overall pick who was also immediately handed the keys to an embattled NFL franchise. GO DEEPER Caleb Williams, Bears 'D' make big plays, face challenges vs. Bengals in joint practice There are arguments for and against starting a rookie in the toughest job in sports.
But Burrow knows, from experience, why it’s basically a must if he’s going to play that season. “I’ll never quite understand when you draft a guy that you know is going to be your starter, but then you don’t name him your starter immediately,” he said after a joint practice with the Bears on Thursday. “And so then he misses out on all those reps with the ones that you would have had had you just come in as the starter.
“That’s what was great about my situation. Zac (Taylor) told me I was the starter as soon as I got drafted and I got all those reps with the ones in train.
