Bengals landing Joe Burrow finally gives their fans hope

In less than 10 days, the Cincinnati Bengals are going to select Joe Burrow.

Yes, there’s always a chance something insane happens. The Bengals could collectively lose their minds and trade the pick to the Miami Dolphins. Burrow could suddenly demand they don’t select him. General manager Duke Tobin could have a bad WiFi connection.

Still, the strong consensus is Burrow will be going from the Tigers to the Bengals come April 23.

Entering his second year at the helm, head coach Zac Taylor doesn’t sound like a man willing to mess with his future, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer:

Want $250 to bet on NFL futures?

“It doesn’t look that way. If there is a guy there that you believe in that can really change the franchise over the next 10-15 years, then that’s a hard thing to pass up on,” Taylor said. “You know, people all the time ask me what would it take to give up that pick and if there’s somebody there that people are willing to give up a lot for, that they believe in, then that just really verifies what we think about those players as well.”

By taking Burrow, Cincinnati suddenly matters again for the first time since they drafted Carson Palmer with the first-overall pick in 2003. Sure, there have been interesting seasons in the interim, but for the most part, Cincinnati has been largely overshadowed.

has some interesting pieces. A team could do much worse than Tyler Boyd and A.J. Green for starting receivers and Joe Mixon in the backfield. Now, with Burrow as the point man, the Bengals are going to score some points.

Read: Mother of Karl-Anthony Towns Loses Covid-19 Battle

In a division with the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati isn’t going to skyrocket into the postseason even if Burrow is fantastic early on. The Bengals are picking at No. 1 for a reason, and it’d due to the myriad issues on the roster beyond the quarterback.

Still, finding the keystone to the franchise next Thursday is a huge move in the right direction. Burrow will energize a fan base long in the tank, and long absent from the stands at Paul Brown Stadium come November and December.

For the Bengals, Joe Burrow solves multiple issues. He gives them the marquee star they’ve lacked for decades. He also sells merchandise, puts butts in the seats and perhaps most importantly, provides hope to people who have had none for quite some time.