How Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow Is Feeling and Why He Was a Man of Few Words Today

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has been quick to shut down questions about his calf or other health issues of the past with short and curt responses, but that was not the case Wednesday when Burrow didn’t seem at all bothered by the six questions about his right calf and how it feels to open his weekly news conference.

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How Close to 100 Percent Is Joe Burrow’s Calf?

Burrow said this is “by far” the closest he’s been to 100 percent since the injury occurred on July 27. He wasn’t able to put an exact number on it, but he said he was “pretty close” to 100 percent.

“We’re just getting better and better,” Burrow said. “Right now, I’m feeling really good and just got to keep it that way.”

The play that made most viewers sit up and say that Burrow was back to his old self was his first of three touchdown passes to Ja’Marr Chase, where he ran away from the pocket, stopped, planted his right calf, and threw back across the field into a tight window to his favorite target.

Burrow said that’s when he knew as well.

“After the first touchdown, I figured I was going to be confident in my calf all day,” he said. “It’s tough sledding when you can’t move around in the pocket and you can’t extend plays and you’ve got to play a certain way, so I was able to play the game the way I wanted to, the way I expected to.”

Perhaps the most interesting thing Burrow said was that the Week 2 “tweak” he felt in his calf was not in the same area as the original injury, “so it wasn’t quite as intense.”

With the questions about his calf out of the way, it was on to the really important things, such as his new cleats.

That was the topic Burrow quickly brushed aside. Twice.

I’m going to make this my go-to response next time ⁦@NickiMorrisonOU⁩ asks me why I didn’t do what she asked. pic.twitter.com/qNfnbS3rop

— Jay Morrison (@ByJayMorrison) October 11, 2023

The assumption is that Burrow has a new business deal in place that has yet to be announced. It’s the only logical answer because he’s usually more than willing to discuss what he’s wearing, whether jewelry, glasses, sweatshirts, sneakers, or anything else.

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But it’s only a guess, given that Burrow is unwilling to talk about it.

A zoomed-in photo of Burrow’s cleats from the game appears to show black tape placed over the Air Jordan logo.

There were two other questions that drew short, three-word answers from Burrow.

One was when he was asked about Chase and the “7/11, always open” topic.

“He’s not wrong,” Burrow said.

The other came when Burrow was asked about Zac Taylor’s comments from Monday in which he said the play where Bengals wide receiver Kwamie Lassiter II snared his first NFL reception was one that Burrow checked to, earning Lassiter a game ball.

A good night = a lot of game balls 👏

Locker Room Celly | @KetteringHealth pic.twitter.com/Akb6Hc7eAK

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) October 9, 2023

“The corner was off,” Burrow said. “I figured instead of running into a four-minute defense box, just throw it out there and get some extra yards.”

The game was essentially over. The Arizona Cardinals were out of timeouts, and it was a 3rd-and-7 with only 1:11 left.

It certainly seemed intentional to get Lassiter his first catch in such a meaningful setting. Lassiter, who was elevated from the practice squad a day earlier with Tee Higgins battling a rib injury, was playing in the city where his father and namesake made his mark after entering the league undrafted, just as his son had.

Lassiter’s father died of a heart attack at the age of 49 when he was playing at the University of Kansas in 2019, so recording his first catch against the team his father spent eight of his 10-year NFL career with was a big deal.

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So, was the play personal?

“There’s no charity,” Burrow said.

“I’m glad he said that,” Lassiter said after being informed of Burrow’s comment. “I like that. He kept it real. Great guy. Great quarterback, too.”