Bengals HC Taylor on Joe Burrow: 'Really Impressed with Him but Not Surprised'

The early returns from Cincinnati Bengals rookie quarterback Joe Burrow during the virtual offseason have been positive. 

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor recently told Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer that he's "been really impressed with him [Burrow] but not surprised."

Taylor explained to Breer that the coaches got creative with offseason workouts for Burrow since they've been unable do things in person because of the coronavirus pandemic:

“We'd make a 20-play cutup, create a script off that cutup, and initially I'd just call a play out loud, so everybody could hear me, the quarterback could repeat, and call the cadence. And we'd just go through, 'O.K., center, Trey Hopkins, make the initial call here.' And we'd be showing a clip from the end zone view, and he'd make his call, the appropriate linebacker. Then, 'O.K., right tackle, who do you got? O.K., quarterback, any checks? No? O.K., call the cadence.'"

Burrow is preparing to be the starting quarterback when the regular season begins. Breer noted that Taylor didn't hesitate to say "absolutely" when asked if Burrow would take the first snap in training camp.

The NFL and NFL Players Association agreed to a deal in April that includes no on-field workouts until all 32 teams can reopen their training facilities. 

Cincinnati is currently scheduled to open training camp for rookies July 24 at Paul Brown Stadium, with veterans reporting two days later. 

After being selected No. 1 overall in the 2020 NFL draft, Burrow is going to have high expectations right out of the gate. Last season, he set an NCAA record 60 passing touchdowns, won the Heisman Trophy and led LSU (15-0) to a national championship. 

The Bengals are coming off a 2-14 record in 2019, tied for the worst single-season mark in franchise history (2002).