Joe Burrow is not the best fit for the Cincinnati Bengals

Joe Burrow had a historically great final season of college football. However, the Bengals should avoid him at the top of the 2020 draft.

Before Cincinnati Bengals fans crucify me, hear me out. First off, whether Joe Burrow becomes a Bengal or not, he has already done one great thing for the city of Cincinnati and the Bengals franchise.

For the first time since the early fall of 2015, the city is excited about the Bengals again. I’m not a Bengals fan, but I have never lived anywhere but Cincinnati. So, I love that. However, we have Bengals fans changing their Twitter profile pictures to Burrow and local radio hosts wearing Burrow t-shirts. Slow down folks… Way down.

Burrow to the Bengals is not the right fit for either side. Let’s start with Burrow. Firstly, the fact that he has Ohio roots means very little. It adds a cute layer to the potential story and means he is less likely to pull an Eli Manning or John Elway if the Bengals draft him. That’s it

No one disputes Burrow’s talent, myself included. 60 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, a National Championship, and a Heisman Trophy speaks for itself. Still, he was barely on the radar as a draftable prospect a year ago. LSU always recruits great players. Everything from scheme, to coaching, to supporting cast was perfect for Burrow this year. All we know about him is that he can light it up in the perfect situation.

This brings us to the Bengals. They just went 2-14 for a reason. Outside of punter, running back, defensive line, and one, maybe two spots on the offensive line, this roster needs help everywhere. The only elite weapon the offense is sure to have at its disposal next year is Joe Mixon.

From a coaching standpoint, Burrow isn’t getting Joe Brady in Cincinnati. He is getting Zac Taylor and Brian Callahan. Both the head coach and offensive coordinator got better as the season went on, but I don’t know how anyone can feel good about this staff going forward after last year.

Also, it is foolish to expect the Bengals to be truly active in free agency. Until they prove otherwise, the draft is their only real chance to improve. They need as many picks as possible.

If I am the Bengals, I am more interested in both Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert than Burrow. Both have proven they can succeed in imperfect situations, which is what the Bengals are. Tagovailoa’s first relevant playing time was a comeback win in the National Championship game.

Oregon is a very good program, but they don’t have the amount of NFL talent LSU does. Herbert led his team to 21 wins over the last two years. That’s about as good as you can do at post Chip Kelly Oregon.

Again, all we know about Burrow is that he can light it up in a near-perfect situation. We already have a name for that in Cincinnati. It is called 2011-early 2015 Andy Dalton. That doesn’t get the franchise where it wants to go.

Cincinnati needs to trade back, take Tagovailoa or Herbert, and draft enough pieces to give them a fighting chance.