Joe Burrow said something this week that got people talking. He compared the current Bengals roster to the 2019 LSU team he led to a national title. And sure, that sounds like a quarterback pumping up his guys in May. But Burrow wasn’t just throwing out empty calories. He went deeper.
“You go back and watch what I said before the 2019 season at LSU,” Burrow told The Athletic. “I feel very similarly about this team. I feel like there is so much greatness we are going to be able to achieve this year.”
Burrow has never lacked confidence. But he’s also putting real pressure on himself and everyone in that locker room. And he’s fine with that. “I hope so, I hope so,” he said. “I think that’s great. Put pressure on guys. I love it. I thrive in it. We will find out who else does.”
So why should anyone take this seriously? Let’s look at what’s actually different about this Bengals team.
The offensive line finally isn’t a disaster
Cincinnati’s biggest problem the last few years has been up front. Burrow got beat up, missed time, and the whole operation wobbled. But this year, every starter from last season is back: Dalton Risner, Ted Karras, Dylan Fairchild, Orlando Brown Jr., and Amarius Mims. That’s five guys who spent a full season learning to work together.
“To have all these guys back is a big advantage early in the season,” Burrow said in late May. “You don’t have young guys trying to fit into the mix and learn the communication on the fly.”
He’s right. Continuity on the offensive line is rare in the NFL. Most teams shuffle pieces every year. The Bengals haven’t had this kind of stability since before Burrow got drafted. And with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins still out wide, plus a solid running back room, the offense should be explosive if the pocket holds up.
But the defense was a real problem
Let’s not pretend last year’s defense wasn’t a mess. Cincinnati went 6-11, and a big reason was that they couldn’t stop anyone. So the front office did something about it. They traded for Dexter Lawrence from the Giants, signed Jonathan Allen, Boye Mafe, and Kyle Dugger in free agency. That’s a lot of muscle added to a unit that needed a pulse.
Burrow noticed. “We’re deep at just about every position on the team,” he said. “In years past, we wondered who was going to make the team. It was top-heavy. This year, it’s guys that were once at the top level that were on the team for sure. Now there’s a lot of competition.”
That’s the kind of depth good teams have. The 2019 LSU team had it on both sides of the ball. Burrow sees the same thing happening in Cincinnati. Whether that turns into a Super Bowl run is another question. But the pieces are there. And if anyone knows what a championship roster looks like, it’s the guy holding the Lombardi Trophy from that LSU season.
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