How Can Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars Follow in Joe Burrow and the Bengals' Path?
The Jacksonville Jaguars have likely heard the comparisons all month long as the Cincinnati Bengals prepare to clash with the Los Angeles Rams LVI.
In short, the Bengals have gone from where the Jaguars are and climbed their way to the NFL's highest point. After sharing the cellar of the NFL with the Jaguars and other franchises, the previously hapless Bengals have been born anew thanks to hitting a home run in the NFL Draft.
The Bengals picked a star college quarterback No. 1 overall and went to the Super Bowl two years later. Even entering this year, the Bengals and Jaguars had similar Super Bowl odds.
The Bengals stared a rebuild in the face and conquered it after getting dealt the same hand as the Jaguars. The comparison isn't exact, obviously, with Zac Taylor taking the Bengals job a year before Joe Burrow was drafted as opposed to Trevor Lawrence now being onto his second head coach after Urban Meyer's one season.
Still, the Jaguars are a young team with years of failures behind them and years of hope ahead of them thanks to a quarterback who is the face of the franchise -- just like the Bengals.
But is there any way the Jaguars can follow in the Bengals' path and climb out of the bottom of the AFC quicker than anyone anticipated? Is there a chance the Jaguars can have as quick of a turnaround under Doug Pederson as the Bengals have had in 2021 under Taylor?
That is the million dollar question. The odds of the Jaguars knocking off the Chiefs and marching their way to the Super Bowl in 2022 are low, but the same was said about the Bengals entering this season. As such, here are a few ways the Jaguars could attempt to forge the same unlikely but wildly impressive path the Bengals have taken.
Find a true No. 1 WR
Joe Burrow was going to be a good NFL quarterback no matter what weapons the Bengals surrounded him with, but the Bengals didn't stop there. Instead, the Bengals have become the latest and most recently dominant example of the advantage of finding a young quarterback a true No. 1 wide receiver.
In Burrow's case it has been Ja'Marr Chase, who caught 81 passes for 1,455 yards and 13 touchdowns this year. Chase, a Pro Bowler and this year's AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, was picked No. 5 by the Bengals last year due to his dominant success with Burrow in college. That success has translated to the NFL, with Burrow's game taking a leap in year two thanks to the aid of Chase.
This is the most obvious thing the Bengals have done to set Burrow up for success, though it is far from the only move. Still, the Bengals picked between adding a No. 1 receiver or a dominant offensive lineman this past April, and they ended up picking correctly. For the Jaguars to unlock Lawrence's potential in terms of production, they will need to make a similar move.
There is of course no receiver in this draft as good as Chase. The entire value of a No. 1 receiver is the fact that few teams have them because simply not many exist, so there is no former teammate of Lawrence's who is an obvious No. 1 receiver like Burrow had. The Jaguars will have options (trading for Calvin Ridley or Amari Cooper?), but they have a less obvious path to finding a No. 1 wideout than the Bengals had.
Build rest of skill position rooms with skill sets of all types
As mentioned, the Bengals have done a lot over the last two seasons -- and even before then -- to set up a successful atmosphere for their quarterback. While their offensive lines have failed to stand out, the Bengals have a deep group of skill players and have legitimate weapons at all three positions.
At wide receiver behind Chase, the Bengals have a great possession and "my ball" receiver in Tee Higgins and a masterful technician in slot receiver Tyler Boyd. At tight end, they have a reliable and explosive target in C.J. Uzomah. At running back, there is obviously Joe Mixon, but Samaje Perine and Chris Evans add pass-catching value and versatility as well.
In short, the Bengals have a deep and versatile group of pass-catchers to give Burrow options galore. While the Jaguars struggled to surround Lawrence with dynamic pass-catchers as a rookie, Burrow hasn't had to worry about this during his time with the Bengals. For the Jaguars to have their offense mature from the 2021 version, they will simply need to put a strong and dynamic group around their quarterback, just as the Bengals did.
The Jaguars don't have a completely bare cupboard, with options such as Dan Arnold, James Robinson and Travis Etienne offering explosiveness. Laviska Shenault has flashed in the past as well and is still a talented former second-round pick despite last year's struggles. There is a baseline of talent, but the Jaguars still need to keep adding and keep finding different mismatches at receiver, running back and tight end.
Develop an offensive scheme entirely around the quarterback
A genuine critique of the offensive scheme the Jaguars put around Lawrence as a rookie is that it didn't fit the young signal-caller's skill set and experience. Lawrence was forced into becoming an under center quarterback in a traditional dropback offense, a far cry from the spread-heavy, RPO-influenced offenses he played in during his college years.
The Bengals have never tried to force Burrow into a square peg, however. While Taylor came to the Bengals with his own scheme and his philosophy still has its fingerprints all over the Bengals' offense, it has been clear over the last two years that the Bengals have fully committed themselves to forming their offense around Burrow.
For the Jaguars to take the next step as a team, they will need to make that same kind of commitment. The Bengals rarely put Burrow in bad situations and the young quarterback seemingly has complete control and pulse of the offense at this early stage of his career. Instead of asking Burrow to be someone he isn't, they have tried to make their offense as familiar to him as possible, something the Jaguars would greatly benefit from.
Effectively use resources to rebuild defense
The Bengals defense hasn't gotten enough credit for the job its done to help the team reach the Super Bowl, but it is a unit that has played terrific football at various points this year. And while the Bengals' defensive scheme and overall draft-and-development has been impactful, it shouldn't be forgotten just how much the Bengals have spent in free agency on their defense.
From Trey Hendrickson to D.J. Reader to Eli Apple to Chidobe Awuzie to Mike Hilton, the Bengals defense is led by new faces the Bengals scouted and adapted their team around after signing them in free agency. The Bengals have taken a lot of free agency swings in the last several years, and the amounts of hits they've generated has helped lead them to football's promised land.
The Jaguars have a chance to do the same thing while Lawrence is on his rookie deal. They started the process last year with the signings of Shaquil Griffin, Rayshawn Jenkins and Roy Robertson-Harris, but they have yet to hit a home run like the Bengals have. If the Jaguars pour adequate resources into their defense in March while also making proper scouting evaluations, the unit could have a turnaround just as quickly as the Bengals' defense.
