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Ben Baby
CINCINNATI — Joe Burrow didn’t feel the need to offer an explanation on Wednesday.
After a strong practice, the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback said he feels great and praised how he has thrown the ball through a week of training camp.
When asked about why he felt that way, Burrow simply pointed to the body of work.
“You’re out there every day,” Burrow said.
For the first time since his rookie season in 2020, Burrow isn’t nursing some sort of injury during training camp. This time last year, Burrow was still working his way back from a season-ending wrist injury on his throwing hand.
On Wednesday, he was aggressive in challenging cornerbacks and pushing the ball downfield. And as he pointed out, anyone who has watched him can probably tell how he’s feeling.
“I think this is the best I’m throwing it in several years, so I’m excited about that,” Burrow said. “Excited about where our team’s at, too.”
Even though the Bengals have practiced for just a week, this is the best stretch of health Burrow has enjoyed in training camp since 2020, which was significantly altered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether it’s been recovery from an ACL injury (2021), an emergency appendectomy (2022), a strained calf (2023) or the aforementioned wrist (2024), Burrow has spent camp dealing with something.
Not this year. Instead, Burrow has been strategic in deciding when to take what the defense gives him and when to push the ball into tight windows.
In team periods, Burrow said, he’s looking to take care of the ball and not force anything. But in 7-on-7 drills, he will be more aggressive.
For example, Burrow tried to find Tee Higgins in a 7-on-7 red zone drill on Wednesday. Instead, the ball was intercepted by second-year cornerback Josh Newton. And Burrow wasn’t all that aggrieved by the result. In his mind, Newton just made a good play.
“I’m never going to be upset at a 7-on-7 interception unless I completely miss the read or make a completely inaccurate throw and not throwing it where I’m trying to throw it,” Burrow said.
Burrow has been among those praising the energy during the beginning of training camp. Cincinnati is trying to find ways to start the season faster after just one win in Weeks 1 and 2 during coach Zac Taylor’s six-year tenure. In an attempt to flip that statistic, playing more in the preseason is among the changes the Bengals are making.
Burrow still doesn’t know how many snaps he’ll get when the Bengals play the Philadelphia Eagles on Aug. 7. But the impact he believes those snaps will have cannot be overstated.
“You don’t feel that timing and that pressure and practice like you do in the game,” Burrow said on Wednesday. “So once you get it, first couple drives, you get the feel of it and it gets back into rhythm. But you do have to feel that in order to play at a high level.”
It’s early in training camp, but Burrow is picking up where he left off last season, when he was a finalist for the MVP award.
