Bengals in the “process of evaluating” superstar LSU quarterback Joe Burrow

The Cincinnati Bengals were the NFL’s worst team in 2019.

While the season is over for the bulk of the teams and only the Super Bowl remains, the focus can almost fully be turned to the NFL Draft and upcoming free agency period.

For Cincinnati, they should’ve been focusing on the future every since Week 12 when they were starring down the rest of the season still without a victory.

With the No. 1 pick having been locked up for about a month, the Bengals should already be narrowing the search for their next superstar. For the bulk of America, the No. 1 pick is easy. It’s Joe Burrow, and given the Bengals’ needs, it’s not even close.

Don’t tell Zac Taylor that though.

The Bengals’ leader will be entering the second season of his head coaching tenure in 2020.

That said, when talking about the team’s future leader, he gave rather conservative words, not giving fans too much reassurance of a Joe Burrow to Bengals dream.

“We’ve started the process of evaluating him. We certainly have a long way to go before making decisions on what we’re doing with the first pick. That’s been exciting,” Taylor told Bengals.com’s Geoff Hobson.

However, Burrow’s season was a bit too much to not notice. It was arguably the best season in NCAA football history. He ended with 5,671 yards and 60 touchdowns, helping bring another championship to LSU.

“It was impressive. There’s no doubt. I’d like to make sure we’re a little more thorough on our film evaluation with a lot of guys before we start making statements on players. But certainly he had an impressive year,” Taylor said.

So, yes, the verdict is still out, but a head coach isn’t just going to straight up say who the team will take with months before the draft. At the end of the day, fans might have just craved a bit more from Taylor.

Rest assured, Burrow still seems like the lock at No. 1.