Cincinnati Bengals fans were given a lot to smile about on Wednesday after it was reported that Joe Burrow had returned to practice. The Bengals lost their star quarterback to a concerning calf injury on the very first day of training camp, and he has since been working hard to get ready for the new season. At this point, however, his status for Cincinnati’s Week 1 matchup against the Cleveland Browns remains up in the air.
Bengals Expect Joe Burrow to Be Ready For Week 1
Burrow returning to practice is an undeniably significant development in his road to recovery. However, this does not guarantee that he’ll be good to go on September 10 when the Bengals kick off their season.
Cincinnati offensive coordinator Brian Callahan is remaining optimistic, though. In a recent interview, Callahan revealed that the Bengals are currently operating under the assumption that Burrow will be available to start the season:
“I think he’s in a good place and we got a good plan in place for him to get ready for Week 1,” Callahan said, via Ben Baby of ESPN.
Still, there are no guarantees here. However, Callahan also pointed out that Burrow’s continuity with the system and his teammates means that the Pro Bowl quarterback won’t require much time to get back up to speed once he returns:
“It’s part of what makes him special to begin with,” Callahan said. “And so those are his strengths that he’s playing into.”
Callahan did provide a final caveat, though, by saying that the Bengals intend to take a cautious approach with regard to the health of their cornerstone quarterback — and rightfully so:
“We’re just trying to be smart about when and where those things occur until he is fully good to go,” Callahan said.
Zac Taylor Spills on Bengals’ Outlook on Joe Burrow Injury
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor hasn’t committed to having Burrow available for Week 1 either. At this point, the Cincinnati play-caller is just happy to see his star QB back in the mix after his extended absence:
“I don’t think there’s a defined checklist we need to see,” Taylor said. “It was just good to get him out with the team and calling plays in the huddle and all that good stuff at practice. I think that was encouraging for everybody.”
The Bengals should increase Burrow’s workload in the coming days/weeks and they will see how his calf responds to the same. This should help them in assessing his availability for Week 1 against the Browns.
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