Joe Burrow 2022 Outlook: Safe Top-12 Option with Revamped Offensive Line
3 years agoJoe Burrow was phenomenal in his second year coming off a torn ACL he suffered as a rookie. He completed 70.4% of his passes for 4,611 yards, 34 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions and led the Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl. He even added 118 yards and two more scores on the ground. Those numbers were good for QB10 on the season. While there's certainly room for improvement, Burrow and the Bengals won't have it easy in 2022. They have the third-toughest schedule this season, with their opponents having a combined win percentage of 0.536 (154-133-2) in 2021. However, the Bengals focused their attention this offseason on the offensive line to keep Burrow upright after allowing the third-most sacks (55) last season. They brought in RT La'el Collins, C Ted Karras, and G Alex Cappa, which immediately upgrades three of the spots on the offensive line. Pair these three with LT Jonah Williams and G Jackson Carman, and you're looking at a very formidable unit that should allow fewer sacks and give Burrow more time in a clean pocket. That's a dangerous formula for defenses trying to stop this high-powered offense that features Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. With nearly the entire offense intact, despite switching out C.J. Uzomah for Hayden Hurst, Burrow should once again thrive in 2022 despite the tough schedule. Because he doesn't have much rushing upside, Burrow should be considered a low-end QB1 with top-10 upside this season.