2020 NFL Power Rankings: Patriots moving up as training camp nears
By Randy Gurzi
. Previous: 30th. Cincinnati Bengals. 29. team. 56.
Cincinnati moves from No. 29 to 30
Last season, the Cincinnati Bengals were the worst team in the NFL. They were in their first season with new head coach Zac Taylor and the young coach led them to only two wins. He had a lot going against him including some injuries to key players such as wide receiver A.J. Green who was unable to play at all in 2019.
Due to their 2-14 record, the Bengals wound up with the No. 1 overall pick and they went with an in-state stud in Joe Burrow. The LSU quarterback won the NCAA Heisman Trophy in 2019 after leading the Tigers to a national championship.
Originally with the Ohio State Buckeyes, Burrow transferred to LSU and started to come on strong near the end of 2018. He carried that over into a 2019 campaign that saw him throw for 5,671 yards with an unbelievable 60-to-6 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Even with his incredible talent, Burrow will have his work cut out for him in Cincinnati. He’s joining a franchise that has struggled for some time and is historically known for being overly frugal when it comes to paying players.
Cincinnati may have turned over a new leaf this year, seeing how they started to go after big names in free agency. Still, there’s a lot of years worth of failure that will be on the shoulders of their new young quarterback.