Jake Browning's Success Proves Bengals Need to Change When Burrow Returns

Joe Burrow is injured once again, and there are big questions that need to be answered when (or if) he returns to play this season.

For the third time in his six-year career, Joe Burrow has suffered an injury that will keep him out for extended parts of the NFL season.  Burrow’s rookie year was ended prematurely by a severe knee injury in Week Ten.  His fourth season was cut short by a ligament tear in his wrist, also in Week Ten.  This year, it’s the ligaments in his big toe on his left foot that are the culprits, except this injury occurred in Week Two. Following successful surgery this morning, Burrow faces a three-month minimum timetable for recovery.

It’s remarkable.  Of all the injuries Burrow has dealt with since arriving in the NFL, one of the smallest parts of his body is responsible for what will be, in all likelihood, the most missed games in a single-season of his career.  Three months is the optimistic projection for his return, which would mean Burrow doesn’t get back onto the field until Week Sixteen or Seventeen at the earliest.  If that’s the case, Burrow might play in four games at-best in 2025, unless the Bengals make the playoffs with backup QB Jake Browning doing most of the heavy-lifting during the regular season.

It’s safe to say this is not what anyone expected for Burrow and the Bengals following the offseason that, for once, seemed eminently normal.  COVID-19 restrictions were no longer around to disrupt the offseason, like they were in Burrow’s rookie year.  He wasn’t recovering from knee surgery or appendix surgery or wrist surgery.  He didn’t even have a nagging calf strain, like he did before the 2023 season.  Sure, the Bengals as a franchise had some bumps in an offseason that included strained contract negotiations with defensive star Trey Hendrickson, but Burrow?  It was finally, mercifully, nothing but smooth sailings.

Until that fantasy abruptly, innocuously, ended.  The play that ended (for the time being) Burrow’s season this year wasn’t particularly violent.  There was nothing especially dangerous or risky about it.  Burrow, like he’s done so many times in the past, was maneuvering in the pocket to avoid the rush and create a play.  This time, though, instead of popping back up to his feet, Burrow stayed on the ground.

His body had, once again, betrayed him.  And, once again, the NFL world is up-in-arms over the Bengals’ betrayal over their star-crossed superstar QB.  Burrow’s season was over not due to random chance or bad luck, but by the malevolent machinations of Mike Brown and the entire Bengals leadership.

“The Bengals have failed to invest in protecting their QB,” has been a common refrain amongst NFL analysts ever since Burrow’s first season-ending injury in 2020.  And for a time, it was hard to argue otherwise.  In 2020 and 2021, Burrow was being protected by guys like Bobby Hart, Alex Redmond, Quinton Spain, Hakeem Adeniji, Trey Hopkins and Michael Jordan (no, not that Michael Jordan).  Those five players made a combined 85 starts in Cincinnati over that span – for those five, that’s not one-too-many starts, that’s 85-too-many.

But, in 2022, changes were made.  The Bengals signed Ted Karras, Alex Cappa and La’el Collins in the offseason to take over at center, right guard and right tackle, and drafted Cordell Volson to take over at left guard.  It didn’t stop there either.  The following offseason, the Bengals surprised everyone when they signed Orlando Brown Jr., the top-rated offensive lineman in free agency, to a four-year, $64 million contract that simultaneously beefed up the left tackle position and debunked the narrative that the Bengals refuse to spend on big-money free agents, and in 2024, they drafted athletic specimen Amarius Mims in the first round to be their right tackle of the future.  In 2025, they were at it again, adding left guard Dylan Fairchild in the third round to take over for Volson.

The point is, the Bengals have invested in their O-line.  Have they always been good investments?  No, but the attention and effort have been there, even if it hasn’t always worked out.

This is not to say that the offensive line couldn’t play better.  Of course it could, but Burrow’s injury woes aren’t just because of a lack of protection – it’s also because Burrow isn’t good at protecting himself.  That’s a result of the Bengals’ absolute devotion to the passing game, and because of Burrow’s particular style of play.

Since Burrow has arrived in Cincinnati, the Bengals have consistently been one of the pass-happiest teams in the league, and they also run plays out of the shotgun more than just about anyone else in that span too.  They are designed to threaten through the air, and that’s what they do.  Nowhere was that more obvious than last year, when Burrow and the Bengals had the NFL’s most prolific passing offense, with Burrow leading the NFL in touchdown passes and passing yards, and top receiver Ja’Marr Chase bringing home the receiving Triple Crown.  The defense didn’t hold up its end of the bargain, which left the Bengals on the outside looking in come playoff time, but the Bengals proved they could pass the ball on anyone.

However, all this passing and living in the shotgun comes at a cost: namely, NFL defenses, by and large, know what’s coming.  They are expecting the pass, and more than likely, that’s what they’re going to get.  Defenses are aware of this trend, meaning their pass rushers can fly up-field and attack the QB without worrying about containing run plays.  Even on the off-chance the Bengals do run the ball, their offensive line hasn’t been good enough to punish the defense’s lack of discipline.

Reliance on shotgun is another issue.  While it does cater to Burrow’s strengths (seeing the whole field, processing his reads quickly, getting the ball out accurately and decisively), it further diminishes the viability of the run game.  Running out of shotgun slows the running back down because he’s unable to get a full head of steam as he gets the football as opposed to typical under-center run plays.  It’s not just that the Bengals pass the football with an almost reckless exuberance; when they do run the ball, they aren’t setting themselves up for success either.

The fix is simple: the Bengals have to become more balanced on offense, both in their commitment to the run, and their commitment to varying their formations.  It’s their predictability that’s putting Burrow in harm’s way.

Obviously, this predictability hasn’t hindered their ability to be a great offense.  They’ve proved that over and over again.  Whenever Burrow is healthy, the Bengals have an elite attack, but at the same time, that style of play is directly resulting in their transcendent QB being off the field for significant portions of several seasons.  Browning has proved to be a more-than-capable backup QB, but without Burrow, the Bengals are not Super-Bowl contenders.

Changing their style of play to become a more balanced offense would definitely be a serious transition.  They’d almost certainly become less explosive, but sacrificing some big plays in exchange for a full-season of Burrow is a trade anyone would make.  Besides, it’s not like the offense has taken a massive step backward when they do change their style of play.  Look no further than the way the Bengals have played in the game with Browning under center.

Whenever Browning plays, the Bengals line up in shotgun less, they run the ball more, and they run play action more.  Last Sunday, the Bengals scored 24 points after Burrow left the game early in the second quarter, almost all of which came in the second half when the Bengals clearly made significant adjustments at halftime.  The Bengals can be effective even when they aren’t airing it out – the question is, is Burrow willing to adjust?

He should be.  Balanced offenses are dominating the league right now.  Look at the top-scoring teams in the NFL: the six highest-scoring teams in the league (the Ravens, Bills, Lions, Colts, Cowboys and Packers) all have strong running games.  By essentially eschewing the run game, the Bengals are significantly increasing their degree of difficulty on offense.  It’s worked because Burrow is just that good, but it also exposes him to more punishment than is necessary.

Browning’s success when subbing for Burrow is proof that the Bengals can change their style of play and still be effective.  It’s understandable why Burrow might be reluctant – he’s had so much success playing this way, and his comfort level is at its highest when he can survey the field from shotgun with receivers spreading the field.  It’s the same way he dominated in college during his Heisman-winning season at LSU.  This is Burrow’s preferred playing style, but it’s also a style that’s getting him hurt.

On a more personal level, Burrow is also going to have to change his approach down-to-down.  Part of what’s made him such a spectacular player is his utter refusal to give up on any play.  Watch any Bengals game and you’ll be mesmerized by Burrow’s bobbing and weaving his way through the pocket as he scans the field for an open receiver.  More often than not, it works in his favor.  But, on rare occasions, it means extra contact that could have easily been avoided.  Instead of throwing the ball away, Burrow takes more punishment.

This isn’t about asking Burrow to stop doing what makes him special; it’s about asking him to save it for a 4th down in the AFC Championship Game, not on a random 2nd and 20 in the second quarter of a Week Two game.  This is obviously easier said than done.  Burrow has gotten to this point, becoming an NFL icon, by playing every down like it’s his last.  Unfortunately, if he keeps it up, that last down could be coming sooner rather than later, and that’s a terrifying proposition for Bengals players, coaches, executives and fans alike.

Head coach Zac Taylor gets plenty of crap from Bengals fans and the NFL media at-large, but he’s clearly able to produce competitive offenses even without the help of his superstar QB.  He did it before in 2023, and he’s doing it again now.  Coming from the Sean McVay/Kyle Shanahan coaching tree, Taylor’s bread-and-butter is the West Coast-style offense that emphasizes play-action and zone runs from under center, two things the Bengals almost never utilize under Burrow.  When Browning is in, though, those two concepts are ratcheted up significantly.

This is the ultimate test for Burrow and Taylor.  Whenever #9 returns, Taylor will need his QB to buy-in to a new style of play, one that’s proved to be effective in his absence.  The element of spreading the field and playing out of shotgun will still be there, but a new element is needed not just to keep defenses off-balance, but to keep Burrow upright and on the field.