The Cincinnati Bengals have hopes the offense will improve by leaps and bounds with Joe Burrow under center after a quiet end to the Andy Dalton era.
That’s also a big reason for the Burrow hype — the anticipation that his skill set can excel in areas where Dalton’s didn’t.
There’s at least one notable stat we can look at right now that suggests a big upswing in offensive potency as soon as 2020 to affirm some of the hope from the organization and hype from fans.
Commenting on a post by Pro Football Focus showcasing Dalton was one of the league’s biggest strugglers in the uncatchable pass rate metric last year, Evan McPhillips dropped the following:
We can point to Burrow’s leadership, ability to escape the pocket and be accurate on film all day. But sheer numbers tell the story too. Some of this was Dalton playing behind a bad line wiht unfamiliar weapons at times of course, but it wasn’t uncommon to see targets at even bigger players like A.J. Green simply miss.
Granted, Burrow’s going to need to go through some growing pains and his excelling in this area in college doesn’t guarantee pro success. But it’s yet another sign that hints at a big upswing if Burrow can provide an upgrade in this area.
