Joe Burrow looked good in his preseason game on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
In his first game since suffering a season-ending wrist injury last November, the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback led the offense on a 12-play, 73-yard run capped by a touchdown by Tee Higgins. Burrow completed five of his seven pass attempts for 51 yards.
The Bengals ultimately lost to the Bucs 17-14.
“It was nice to be back out there with the guys,” Burrow said after the game. “Nice to get some reps in the game that didn’t count toward our record. There’s still some work to be done. It’s nice to be back out there.”
This is the first time the 27-year-old has played in pre-season since August 2021. But not because he didn’t try.
Burrow has publicly stated in recent years that he wants to play in the preseason, but injuries have prevented him from doing so. Before the 2022 season, Burrow underwent emergency appendectomy one day before training camp began – forcing him to miss weeks of practice. A year later, he injured his calf in the first week of training camp and was out for the entire month of August.
Joe Burrow threw for 51 yards and a touchdown in the Bengals’ season opener.
(Albert Cesare/The Cincinnati Enquirer via Getty Images)
Burrow did not take a hit in the preseason game, but said he would like to.
“Maybe once before anything else,” said Burrow. “Just let them meet you once before you go out for the first game.”
Don’t count on it. Head coach Zac Taylor has probably seen everything he needed to see from his star QB. And the Bengals need to protect their $275 million investment.
Plus, Burrow will have plenty of opportunities to take a loss once Cincinnati opens its regular season on September 8.
