Zac Taylor wants the Bengals to play more from under center in 2026.
Unfortunately, Joe Burrow under center is precisely where this offense struggles most, which is why the Bengals haven't used it often of late.
How much the Bengals choose to pivot to under-center passing and how much Burrow can improve on these dropbacks might have a large impact on their fortunes in 2026.
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Joe Burrow's Under-Center Splits Are the Worst Among Elite QBs
Over the last two years, the Bengals have been in shotgun on 94% of Burrow’s dropbacks.
That is the #2 highest rate in the NFL.
They are in shotgun on 83% of overall snaps, also the #2 highest rate in the NFL.
These rates weren’t always this high.
Burrow’s shotgun rate on pass plays was 89% in 2020 and 86% in 2021.
But recently, it jumped to as high as 97% in 2023 and has remained above 93% each of the last three seasons.
So, when I heard the Bengals were working more on under-center offense, my ears perked up, because it was something new for the Bengals.
I didn’t like the sound of it, primarily because I recalled the results were less than ideal when Burrow was under center in the past.
And that’s being kind.
Over the last two years, look at Burrow’s splits when passing the ball, out of 56 qualifying passers.
From shotgun:
#3 EPA (+0.14)
#1 success rate (50%)
#8 Y/A (7.5)
Under center:
#49 EPA (-0.24)
#30 success rate (44%)
#53 Y/A (5.0)
You can’t get more opposed, and sure enough, here is how it looks visually along with all the other QBs in the NFL the last two years:
Among the top 15 QBs when passing from shotgun (QBs on the far right of the graphic), all of them perform well above average from under center, as well.
We’re talking QBs like Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Brock Purdy, Jared Goff, Jordan Love, Drake Maye, Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, Matthew Stafford, Dak Prescott, Baker Mayfield, etc.
One quarterback stands alone as terrible when dropping back to pass under center: Burrow.
No other upper-tier QB is close.
Zooming in further helps it stand out:
Bengals Training Camp Is Already Showing the Problem
When I asked the question online if the Bengals were trying more under-center work in this 2026 training camp, Joe Goodberry, who has been at camp practices, responded, “HEAVY under center work this summer so far.”
Sure enough, just like during the past two regular seasons, the training camp experiment with under center has been problematic.
It “hasn’t been working” so far this camp, per Goodberry.
According to The Athletic’s Paul Dehner, the Bengals’ “under-center offense is not going away,” and this was not something they were merely tinkering with during OTAs.
It is something they are trying to install into the offense more completely in 2026.
Per Dehner, the Bengals appear to be looking at using more 12 personnel, going heavier by adding additional tight ends.
It is something the Rams experimented with massively last season, adding two- and three-tight-end sets to force defenses to play heavier, and then passing out of those groupings.
The difference, however, is that Stafford was one of the NFL’s best QBs when passing from under center in 2023 and 2024, which is one reason it made sense for the Rams to pivot in 2025.
In fact, entering 2025, I wrote a plea in my NFL Preview Book for Sean McVay to pivot to using heavier personnel, particularly in the red zone, to improve success.
But look at the difference between Stafford and Burrow when playing under center in the two years before making the change:
Stafford: #5 EPA (+0.37), #7 success rate (56%), #7 Y/A (9.7)
Burrow: #49 EPA (-0.24), #30 success rate (44%), #53 Y/A (5.0)
The pivot to more under-center passing won’t be as natural and certainly might not be anywhere near as successful for the Bengals, because Burrow clearly isn’t as comfortable and doesn’t perform as well.
In fact, if we go back the last three years, Burrow’s under-center dropbacks average just 3.6 air yards, which ranked dead last: #69 out of 69 qualifying QBs.
His time to throw of 2.81 seconds was the #5 fastest out of 69 QBs, and he threw just 17% of passes 10+ yards downfield, also ranking dead last.
These statistics are those of a quarterback who is not entirely comfortable turning his back on the defense and throwing downfield, so he looks underneath instead to avoid pressure.
But that flies in the face of a quote from Burrow this training camp, when he said, “I’m very comfortable. I can do whatever is asked of me. I have, and I will.”
The stats paint a different picture.
In terms of using more under center, Burrow said, “We haven’t done it quite as much over the last several years, and we’ll see what we evolve into this year. But if that’s what’s needed, that’s what I’ll do.”
Perhaps I’m reading into it too much, but this sounds like a coach who wants to copy the trends from around the NFL telling a veteran quarterback who prefers shotgun that they want to change and go more under center.
And the veteran QB is a team player and will do what he’s told, even if he’s less comfortable in that role.
It is still early in camp, and much can change.
What could also change is that Burrow suddenly excels passing the ball from under center, and it’s a positive to use more under-center dropbacks rather than a net negative.
But right now, it is a bit concerning to me that you have an elite quarterback when passing from shotgun being told the offense is going to pivot more to under center.
And it’s what we are seeing a ton of in camp.
And apparently, it’s looked as bad in camp as it has the last several years during the season.
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