The Athletic predicts big rookie season for Joe Burrow

Former LSU football quarterback Joe Burrow could be in a for a big rookie season according to The Athletic.

Former LSU football quarterback Joe Burrow has high expecations heading into the 2020 season.

Burrow, who was the No. 1 selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, is expected to be the savior of the Cincinnati Bengals — a franchise that hasn’t won a playoff game since the 1990 season.

So far, all indications are that Burrow is as advertised. He’s been impressing his teammates during training camp with his leadership and his ability to quickly diagnose defenses.

But without the luxury of preseason NFL games, we have no idea what to expect from the former LSU standout once he takes the field against NFL competition.

However, while we aren’t certain how Burrow will perform, there are at least some predictions out there — including one from The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr.

Big statistical season in store for Joe Burrow?

Dehner Jr recently predicted how the Bengals’ 2020 season would play out. And it’s clear he thinks highly of Burrow. He has Burrow finishing his rookie season with 4,234 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, 15 interceptions, and a passer rating 92.0.

“Burrow may have higher expectations for himself to be first in a bunch of those categories, but realistically speaking, this would be the rookie baseline of a future Pro Bowl/All-Pro quarterback and one of the top prospects to enter the league this decade,” wrote Dehner Jr.

I think this is a pretty fair prediction for Burrow. If he’s what everyone thinks he’s going to be, then this is the type of rookie season you’d expect from him.

Now, ultimately Burrow will be judged on how well his team fares in 2020 (after all, part of the allure of selecting Burrow is the perception that he’s able to make players around him better).

For what it’s worth, Dehner Jr has the Bengals finishing 7-9 in 2020, which would be a significant improvement over their 2-14 record in 2019.

It’s certainly possible that Burrow exceeds these numbers. But if this is where he finishes, there won’t be anyone in the league more excited than the Cincinnati coaching staff.