The Cincinnati Bengals keep getting great news about superstar quarterback Joe Burrow's recovery, but when and how and why he returns to the field will serve as a generational case study of cost-benefit analysis.
Burrow had about the most brutal case of turf toe anyone could ever have. That didn't stop him from demolishing his timeline and positioning himself to play in Week 12 against the New England Patriots.
Whether it's this Sunday or Thanksgiving Day versus Baltimore when Burrow is back in uniform, head coach Zac Taylor must make one critical adjustment to ensure Joe Brrr stays upright and healthy.
Bengals can't start rookie at right guard once Joe Burrow is back
Who knows what the vision is for any given player the Bengals draft. To me, the front office and coaching staff, who insist they're in lockstep, couldn't seem less in lockstep.
Jalen Rivers was limited in practice Thursday with knee and ankle injuries, per The Cincinnati Enquirer's Kelsey Conway. Before we even discuss the merits of playing him in light of his injury situation, this isn't just about Week 12. We're talking about the rest of the season and what the responsible thing to do is when Burrow is back.
First, a little backstory is necessary to set this up. Rivers was mostly a left tackle and left guard in college at Miami (Florida) when the Bengals took him 151st overall in the fifth round. At no time did Rivers line up at right guard in college, which is where he now starts as an NFL rookie.
Cincinnati had already selected Dylan Fairchild in Round 3, and the Georgia product has looked the part as the starting left guard when healthy. Can't say the same is true for Rivers on the right side.
I swear, if Duke Tobin and the scouting department could just provide Taylor with slightly below-average players — as opposed to guy who, you know, look like they don't belong on an NFL field — the Bengals would be so much better off.
Alas, that seems like an impossibility at the minute.
I feel like only this pack of geniuses who run the Bengals could pick a first-round defensive end with 4.5 sacks in three years of college football, two off-ball linebackers who aren't good, two left guards with one who could project as a swing tackle in theory (turns out, Rivers can't do it), and a third-string running back who seldom sees any action.
Not only have all three Cincinnati rookie defenders been horrendous, but Rivers is a human turnstile in the trenches. PFF rates him as the worst run blocker, second-worst pass blocker, and the NFL's second-worst guard among 80 snap count-based qualifiers.
The o-line has played rather well of late in spite of Rivers' ineptitude. He's the clear weak link up front. If only the Bengals had vets like Lucas Patrick and Dalton Risner who could be far more competent in the role! Oh wait, they're both on the roster!? You don't say!!
See these are the types of personnel decisions that drive Who Dey Nation mad.
Given the punishment Burrow has endured throughout his career due to bad blocking in front of him, Taylor can't afford to get cute with this. Tell Tobin and Co. to deal with it.
This is not the time to "develop" Jalen Rivers. It's time to send him to the bench. Let him see how it's done from the sidelines. Because it's just not worth the risk to Burrow to keep trotting out one of the NFL's worst guards. In fact,