‘He Looks Probably as Good as He’s Ever Looked’ — Bengals Coach Zac Taylor Gives Positive Update on Joe Burrow

The answers are getting longer as the time grows shorter for Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow to return to action.

Head coach Zac Taylor has been leaning on the “several weeks from when I first said several weeks” answer any time a question about Burrow’s progress is presented. But during his pre-practice news conference Monday afternoon, Taylor went into more detail about where Burrow stands after suffering a calf strain on July 27.

Joe Burrow Injury Update

How is Burrow progressing from his calf strain?

“He looks great,” Taylor said. “I mean physically, just walking around, he looks probably as good as he’s ever looked at this point. So that’s a positive.”

That answer was in response to a question about the difference between last year’s recovery from an appendectomy, and the weight and strength loss that accompanied it, and the current soft-tissue injury, and how much work Burrow would have to do in practice for Taylor to feel comfortable playing him in Week 1.

“One rep. He needs one rep,” Taylor said with a laugh, seemingly only half joking.

“No, but it’s different. It’s a different injury,” Taylor continued. “I hate speaking for other people, but last year it’s an unknown how is contact gonna feel, how is it gonna feel when I torque? There’s a lot of things with an internal injury that I can’t speak to, but I would imagine it’s a whole different mindset you have to have. But this one’s in a calf, and he looks great.”

The Bengals will open the season on Sept. 10 in Cleveland, which is 19 days away.

In last year’s season opener, when Burrow was not yet back to 100%, he threw a career-high five interceptions and was sacked seven times.

Offensive coordinator Brian Callahan echoed Taylor’s comments about how good Burrow currently looks, although he clarified that it’s more based on what he’s doing in limited situations and not a reflection of where his rehab stands.

“To my eye, he’s progressing the way he’s supposed to,” Callahan said. “I don’t see him a lot doing things. I see him probably about as much as you guys do. I don’t go watch his rehab or anything or that. But I feel good about everything I’ve heard and seen so far.”

The fact that there have been no setbacks is the most important thing. While Taylor’s “several weeks” timeline was nebulous, he said there has been a plan since the day it happened, and nothing in the interim has caused them to deviate from that.

“We’ve had a plan throughout,” Taylor said. “Daily, since it happened, we go through and decide what’s gonna be best for the next day.”

And Burrow’s history with training camp setbacks, whether it be the appendectomy last year or dealing with scheduled rehab/rest days in 2021 as he recovered from an ACL tear, has added value as well.

Burrow has been through this and knows how to best prepare based on watching other quarterbacks run the offense in practice instead of first-hand experience.

“I think everybody’s a little different, and he’s at the level he is for a reason,” Taylor said. “I was fortunate to never have an injury he’s like sustained, so I can’t put myself in his shoes. But again, he’s gotten himself to this spot for a reason, and over the last three years, he’s had to deal with similar circumstances. So again, he’s a veteran at this.”