Every NFL franchise drafting a quarterback hopes it goes as well as it has with the Cincinnati Bengals and Joe Burrow.
While injuries have impacted parts of Burrow's young career, the Bengals instantly became a better team with him on the field. That's not always the case for first-round quarterbacks.
The reason for Burrow's success, in his words, is something every team drafting a franchise quarterback should write down.
Joe Burrow has always had control in the Bengals' offense
During his guest appearance on New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce, Burrow revealed why he was able to hit the ground running in Cincinnati.
"I had a coaching staff that really empowered me from day one," Burrow said, per Bengals.com's Geoff Hobson. "They gave me full reign of that offense. I was never playing scared, thinking I was wrong. Playing free and having trust in your players and coaching staff is the biggest recipe for success."
It was evident from the very beginning Burrow would dictate the Bengals' offense. Head coach Zac Taylor developed as a coach under various wide zone and under center offenses, and Burrow's preferred shotgun-spread scheme overruled all of that.
Free reign to make checks at the line of scrimmage was also a privilege Burrow earned from the get-go. A good portion of the plays the offense runs ends up being Burrow's decision before the snap.
Pre-game influence and mid-game decision making makes Burrow as much of a player-coach as any starting quarterback in the NFL. Why else would a team draft a quarterback with the first pick and not feel comfortable with handing him this much responsibility?
By having the confidence to run the offense, Burrow was able to make mistakes, learn from them, and progress through his development without fear of restriction or demotion. The Bengals needed to have the confidence in him to do this, of course, but it's a two-way street at the end of the day.
The Bengals trusted Burrow, and Burrow trusted them. It's led to a phenomenally productive relationship after four years.
Needless to say, this is the blueprint for drafting a quarterback early in the first round. Several clubs are planning to do this in two weeks as Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, and J.J. McCarthy are all projected to go in the first 10 picks.
Will any of them turn into Burrow? The odds are slim, but Burrow has verbalized the path.
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