Bengals legend Ken Anderson likes what he sees from the team’s offseason workouts

Former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback and one of the team’s most legendary players Ken Anderson recently watched the team’s offseason workouts.

And according to Bengals.com’s Geoff Hobson, Anderson came away impressed with what he saw, especially from the quarterbacks and running backs.

“I was very impressed,” Anderson said. “I really liked it. It was different than what I’m used to seeing, but what I did see was the attention the players had. The quarterbacks with the running backs worked on handoffs. They make the handoff and then there was a very quick move into the play-action. There was no, ‘OK, let’s go through the motions on this.’ When they’re running routes, it’s full speed. It was very impressive.”

Quarterback Joe Burrow threw the third least play-action passes in the league in 2022 with 95 attempts. This makes sense considering the issues the team has had with the offensive line over the last couple of years.

When an offensive line is allowing as many sacks as the Bengals have over the past few years, play action goes to the wayside because the plays take longer to set up and require the quarterback to hold the ball for a longer period of time.

With the addition of Orlando Brown Jr. at left tackle, the Bengals are poised to have the best offensive line they’ve had over the last several seasons, so it makes sense they are putting an emphasis on the play-action pass this offseason more than others.

The extra wrinkle added to the Bengals offense has the potential to freeze defenses, even if just for a split second, making the already potent offense that much more deadly for opposing defenses.

Getting the stamp of approval from one of the franchise’s greatest players speaks volumes as to where the offense is going in 2023. With a much improved offensive line, Burrow’s first full NFL offseason, and a focus on play action to add an extra dimension to the offense, we could be in store for a great show this season.

Anderson is the franchise’s leading passer with 32,838 passing yards and 197 touchdowns. He was inducted into the Bengals Ring of Honor in the 2021 inaugural class alongside Ken Riley, Anthony Muñoz, and founder Paul Brown.