Joe Burrow got off to a hot start in his rookie campaign before an ACL tear sideswiped the quarterback's season.
Since stepping foot in Cincinnati, Burrow has impressed veteran teammate Mike Daniels, who spent six seasons with Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. Daniels joined NFL Network's Good Morning Football on Thursday and reiterated his comparison between the two QBs.
"You know what I say about Joe Burrow, man. That's like baby Aaron," Daniels said.
Last November, Daniels similarly hyped the Burrow-Rodgers comparison. Ten days later, the Bengals QB's season ended with a devastating knee injury.
The ACL tear didn't dampen Daniels' optimism about the young QB's ability to lead the Bengals to the promised land.
"You don't see many rookies step into a locker room, and you can tell, you would think he's a four-year vet if you didn't know who he was," Daniels said. "To have that at the quarterback position, that means he has the right type of savvy, the right type of poise that you only see from guys like Aaron. I've been saying this since I got there. I see a lot of similarities between the two. I'm just excited to be able to be a part of that, man. The kid's got a lot to him. He's got a lot of upside. He's only going to get better. You talk to Who Dey nation, man, they're gonna let you know. Joe Burrow is the savior, man! He really is to this organization."
To be the savior, first, Burrow needs to bounce back from the ACL injury. By all accounts, he should be ready for Week 1. How he responds to the first time he's hit and whether it takes time to knock off any rust will determine how the Bengals' 2021 season unfolds.
Secondly, for Burrow to be that savior, Cincy must protect the QB after he got hammered last season. Otherwise, the LSU product could become one of those battered signal-callers who can't live up to his talent because he's either constantly on his back or a medical cart.
