Joe Burrow will be the only high-profile rookie quarterback starting in Week 1 when he takes the field for the Cincinnati Bengals against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Burrow has long been cemented as the starter for the Bengals on opening day. His top-six counterpart for the Chargers, Justin Herbert, has consistently been behind the veteran Tyrod Taylor in the minds of the coaching staff there.
And then there is Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins, the draft’s fifth pick. He’ll hold the clipboard in Week 1 while the veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick takes the field, something the Dolphins confirmed Monday.
That leaves Burrow as the lone expected, notable rookie starter in Week 1, where he’ll have to combat a Joey Bosa-led Chargers pass-rush.
“I know that he was the starter the day he walked through the door, but he’s done everything to verify that for us and earn it,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said of Burrow, according to ESPN’s Ben Baby.
While Herbert and Tagovailoa will surely get their chances this year at times, it’s Burrow all the time for the Bengals as the new era starts with Week 1’s game.
