Joe Burrow: What is his role with Bengals in 2020 and beyond?

What challenges will Burrow face in 2020?

The biggest thing that derailed the Bengals season in 2019 was an atrocious offensive line. Unfortunately for Joe Burrow, they did almost nothing to fix it. Burrow is going to need to get the ball out quickly in 2020. The best offensive lineman currently employed by the Cincinnati Bengals is probably Trey Hopkins, who is average at best.

Obviously, things change if Jonah Williams comes back healthy. The Bengals picked Williams 10th overall in 2019 and had hopes of him being the franchise left tackle. He had shoulder surgery and missed the entire 2019 season. Williams has been cleared for football and looks to be an immediate game changer.

A healthy Jonah Williams changes everything for Burrow. While the rest of the offensive line is made up of replacement level players, having Burrow’s blind side protected is huge. In an off-season where practice time is limited, protecting a rookie quarterback’s blind side is going to be huge.

Even with a healthy Williams, the offensive line is still going to be a problem for Burrow. He’s the least athletic of the four first round quarterbacks, meaning pressure would bother him the most. Zac Taylor is trying to run an offense similar to his mentor Sean McVay in Los Angeles. The world saw first hand what happened to the Rams when the offensive line fell apart.