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Greg Auman
NFC South Reporter
For one reason or another, Joe Burrow has thrown a grand total of one preseason pass in his NFL career. That should change Saturday night as the Bengals host the Bucs in Cincinnati.
NFL teams are more and more careful to keep their star players on the sidelines in preseason and not expose them to potential injuries, but Burrow and other Bengals starters are expected to play in the first of three preseason games.
“I’m excited for it,” said Burrow, who’s now healthy after suffering a wrist injury last November that ended his 2023 season. “I’m excited to get these reps and have these reps to get better right now.”
COVID took away the NFL preseason in Burrow’s rookie year, and he’s been mostly held out, largely due to injuries, in the past three years. He played a single drive with a single pass in four years. Cincinnati has joint practices after this week with the Bears and Colts, and those sessions give teams a chance to see their players against other teams in more controlled conditions.
Burrow said playing in preseason games is different from joint practices, and in some ways for him, better.
“I’m going to have the opportunity to get hit,” he said. “Maybe I get hit, maybe I don’t. It’s a game. It’s a scrimmage, but it’s a live scrimmage. That’s the best way to prepare for Week 1, I think. We’ll see, but I think we’re going about it the right way.”
Bengals coach Zac Taylor said he appreciates the benefits of having Burrow and other starters on the field. Taylor understands there are injury risks, but he recognizes the advantages of giving them time in a real huddle and playing against an opponent.
“I’ve targeted the first game,” Taylor said last week. “I’m not setting anything in stone right now, but I’m optimistic that’s where it’s trending right now for our team, and then we’ll make decisions after that.”
When the NFL shifted to a 17-game schedule three years ago, the preseason was…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/why-bengals-qb-joe-burrow-other-starters-expected-play-saturday
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Publish date : 2024-08-07 12:07:14
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