The Bengals may have had a horrible season on the field in 2019, finishing the year with a 2-14 record, but the prize at the end of the road may be worth all the turmoil.

Of course, that’s due to the fact Ohio native Joe Burrow is sitting there waiting to be called by the Bengals once the 2020 NFL Draft arrives. Burrow’s pending selection looks to be the biggest slam dunk move in the state of Ohio dating back to the Cleveland Cavaliers drafting LeBron James back in 2003. At least, that’s the outside perspective.

How do the Bengals actually feel about Burrow?

The staff is currently preparing to work the 2020 Senior Bowl and hoping Burrow elects to play in the game. (Burrow has an open invitation but has not yet elected to accept the invite.)

In a recent interview conducted by the team website, Bengals quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt and offensive coordinator Brian Callahan shared their thoughts on LSU’s record-setting signal-caller.

“He definitely checks off a lot of boxes early on in the evaluation process,” said Van Pelt.  “He obviously looks like a very intriguing guy.”

What are some of the traits Burrow possesses that intrigues the Bengals?

“Creates on the move. Obviously takes care of the ball. Makes good decisions,” he continued. “You can see that with his touchdown-to-interception ratio (60-6). I got to see him in the last two games of the year and then when you watch the tape, you’re seeing the same things.”

Those sentiments were echoed by the team’s offensive coordinator.

“He’s got natural pocket feel. He feels it,” Callahan added. “It seems like he never takes his eyes off down the field. He extends the play really, really well. He’s a lot faster than you might assume when you see him running away from all those SEC guys. He’s got incredible up-field accuracy. The ball hardly ever hits the ground in a game, which is rare. He just naturally puts the ball in places where those guys can make plays.”

It appears to be all lining up for Burrow to make a return to Ohio to try and turn around the Bengals franchise. Considering his massive popularity in the state, there’s no doubt Cincinnati could not pick a better candidate to sell as the future of the franchise moving forward.