Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow appears to be trending toward starting Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns, according to offensive coordinator Brian Callahan.
Burrow, 26, practiced for the second straight day Thursday after missing six weeks with a strained calf.
“I think he’s in a good place and we got a good plan in place for him to get ready for Week 1,” said Callahan, who added that Burrow’s absence didn’t seem to have an effect on his physical appearance or performance on the field.
When the Bengals resume practice Monday, Burrow — who participated on all of the individual drills during the portion open to the media Thursday — will take part in what Callahan termed “intense team periods,” which will be the next step to measure his progress.
Working in Burrow’s favor is his familiarity with the system and the players, which means he’ll quickly be up to speed.
“It’s part of what makes him special to begin with,” Callahan said. “And so those are his strengths that he’s playing into.”
Bengals coach Zac Taylor said the team would continue to monitor Burrow daily but wouldn’t commit to him starting the Week 1 game, Sept. 10 at Cleveland.
“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.”
Burrow, who guided the Bengals to the Super Bowl during his second NFL season in 2021-22, is the next quarterback in line for a massive payday. However, on Thursday, Taylor wouldn’t comment on negotiations between the team and Burrow on a possible contract extension for the fourth-year Pro Bowl quarterback.
The Los Angeles Chargers recently made Justin Herbert the new highest-paid player in the NFL at $52.5 million per year (five-year extension worth $262.5 million), following extensions earlier this offseason for the Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson ($260 million) and the Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts ($255 million).
–Field Level Media