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Will Joe Burrow be the next rookie quarterback to lead a team to a winning season? The Cincinnati Bengals sure hope so, and an interesting stat suggests it may be possible.
The NFL Research twitter page found that 50 first-year quarterbacks have started at least eight games since 2000.
Of those quarterbacks, 13 posted winning records (26%), three went exactly .500 (6%) and 34 (68%) had losing records.
Four of the 13 quarterbacks came from the AFC North in Cincinnati’s Andy Dalton, Joe Flacco and Kyle Boller of the Baltimore Ravens, and Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers. This may be a positive trend for Burrow and the Bengals.
50 rookie QBs started 8+ games since 2000
— NFL Research (@NFLResearch) May 18, 2020
- Winning record: 13 (26%)
- Exactly .500: 3 (6%)
- Losing record: 34 (68%)
4 of 13 QBs with a winning record were from the AFC North (most of any division): Andy Dalton, Joe Flacco, Ben Roethlisberger & Kyle Boller
Is Joe Burrow next?
Burrow isn’t the only upgrade the Bengals made this offseason. They drafted Tee Higgins in the second round to join Tyler Boyd and A.J. Green as go-to weapons, signed several veterans to help improve their defense including D.J. Reader, Trae Waynes and Vonn Bell while also finding some offensive line upgrades.
The Bengals still have a lot of work to do, but it’s hard to imagine another 2-14 season in 2020 with Burrow under center.