In March, Cook signed with the Cincinnati Bengals after being released by the Kansas City Chiefs. His arrival created an interesting overlap: in the last four seasons, he had been lining up opposite quarterback Joe Burrow, and beat him in the 2022 Super Bowl to add to the Chiefs’ tally. Now on the same team, Cook wants to use that experience to help Burrow and Co. end their Super Bowl drought. 

“I’ve always had respect for him (Burrow), the guys, and the organization,” Cook told Bengals.com’s Geoff Hobson in an interview this week. “Now it’s just trying to get over this hump so you can say you did something that’s never been done in franchise history.”

The Bengals last reached the Super Bowl in 2022, their first appearance in the game since the 1988 season. They were able to return largely with the help of a quarterback, who is one of the best in the business. But since that year, the Bengals have struggled to hit the 10-win milestone. The offense has shown problems, but the defense has held the team back from those wins for a long time now.

The Sporting News’ Ryan Boman, using a stat presented by The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr., noted that the Bengals’ defensive success is at a disappointing 44.39% since 2000. The entire league’s average has been 55.9. Last season, the Bengals ranked 31st in overall defense,

Inconsistent safety play and missed tackles plagued this side of the ball throughout the year. And without a Joe Burrow to offset the damages, Cincinnati crumbled. Out of the eight losses that came in the QB’s absence, six of them saw the opponent scoring more than 30 points. Cook has acknowledged the tall task that’s ahead of him and knows that he needs to deliver to help Burrow out.

“You need a quarterback first and foremost, and weapons on offense,” he said. “We’ve found some pieces on defense and changed the mentality going into the offseason. They’ve put up a lot of points. I know if we can stop them, it can turn into a blowout really quickly.”

This offseason, the Bengals’ front office played boldly to strengthen the defense. They sacrificed their 10th overall pick in this year’s draft for All-Pro defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. Reportedly, Joe Burrow had pushed the team to sign him after giving them an ultimatum. 

Burrow’s prime years are wasting away, and he wants that Super Bowl now. Cook can become the leader on the defense who finally helps Cincinnati get there.

Joe Burrow praises Bryan Cook’s leadership in Cincinnati

The safety is coming to a new system, which is in worse shape than Steve Spagnuolo’s defense in Kansas City. He will need some time to adapt to the Cincy playbook. But Burrow is already liking what Cook is adding to the Bengals’ defense.

“You see that out of Bryan Cook from Day One,” Burrow told Hobson about the leadership new veterans are bringing to Cincinnati. “You can tell that he’s going to set a standard in that room and make everybody live up to it and put pressure on everybody if they don’t.”

Cook went from starting just one regular-season game as a rookie to a full-fledged starter for the Chiefs in just two years. Last season, he recorded a career-high 85 tackles. Cook has never missed more than seven tackles in a season playing for Kansas City. That talent will fix one of the most glaring issues for the Bengals immediately.

This year, Cook is expected to replace Geno Stone and start alongside Jordan Battle in the Bengals’ revamped secondary. And early signs suggest Cook already fits perfectly in the Bengals’ locker room.