Ryan Clark Accuses Bengals of Wasting Joe Burrow’s Prime

The Cincinnati Bengals’ slow start has been a primary reason that quarterback Joe Burrow missed out on the postseason last year.

Ryan Clark Accuses Bengals of Wasting Joe Burrow’s Prime

Joe Burrow, Ryan Clark (Images via Getty/FOX News)

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Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow suited up for his second preseason game on Monday, but what surprised many wasn’t that he played; it was how long he stayed in. With the team shuffling its offensive line after last year’s struggles, the expectation was to get Burrow a few reps and move on.

Even Troy Aikman, calling the game, mistakenly assumed backup Jake Browning had entered before realizing Burrow was still on the field.

Burrow even absorbed a couple of heavy hits, the kind you don’t want to see in August, given his injury history. For a franchise that has missed the playoffs two straight years, the risk felt unnecessary. Aikman later summarized the frustration: “They’ve wasted some good years with Joe Burrow, especially last year when he played an MVP-type season.”

Joe Burrow led the league in passing yards, touchdowns, attempts, and completions. In fact, he became the only quarterback not to win an MVP after finishing the regular season with more than 4000 passing yards and 40 touchdowns, with fewer than 10 interceptions.

Former safety Ryan Clark echoed the sentiment on ESPN’s Get Up, pointing out that Cincinnati’s defense still looks vulnerable despite an offseason focused almost entirely on keeping its offensive stars.

With Trey Hendrickson’s contract unsettled and little improvement on defense, Clark argued that Burrow knows he’ll have to carry the team again in 2025. If that’s the case, the Bengals could risk wasting even more of their franchise quarterback’s prime.

The Cincinnati Bengals are trying to capitalize on having one of the best quarterbacks of this generation… [they have] a defense that hasn’t improved… And not only has it not improved, you also haven’t signed your best player [in Trey Hendrickson] and one of the few impact players you had on that side of the ball.

Ryan Clark said

Ryan Clark explains the reason behind Joe Burrow’s presence in the preseason

As Ryan Clark bluntly put it, if you’re Joe Burrow, you’re not playing extended preseason snaps because you need the practice, you’re doing it because you know you’ll have to carry a broken roster. He added that Burrow understands he’ll need to score 40 TDs to win games in 2025 for them to have a chance.

Joe Burrow (2)
Joe Burrow (Image via Associated Press)

The reason that you’re trying to do different things, why you’re trying to get reps with second-team wide receivers, is because you know you’re gonna need them at some point in the season in order to make plays to help a defense that’s gonna be absolutely putrid.

That’s not hyperbole either. Last season, the Bengals allowed 25.5 points per game, tied with the Las Vegas Raiders for 25th in the league.

Stephen A. Smith took the criticism one step further, pointing his finger at head coach Zac Taylor. He slammed Taylor for leaving Burrow in during a meaningless preseason game where the star QB absorbed unnecessary hits. Smith didn’t hold back on the defense either, calling it “God awful” and joking that it should “fly commercial.”

The Bengals are in a dilemma. On one hand, Burrow needs preseason reps to avoid another September slump, yet every extra snap risks disaster behind an unproven line and with no safety net on defense. If Cincinnati doesn’t fix its glaring imbalance soon, Burrow’s prime years could continue to be wasted.

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