CINCINNATI — From the moment Joe Burrow went down grabbing his right calf on July 27, there was some doubt cast on the 2023 Cincinnati Bengals.
But there he was back on the field Wednesday, no wrap on his right calf. Every single player in stripes knew what it meant. No. 9 was back in business, ready to get prepared for the season opener Sept. 10 in Cleveland.
The Bengals know full well what a good start would mean not only for the division but for a run at home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Having the franchise back without any apparent restrictions means the Bengals can try to avoid what happened last season when an 0-2 start proved too big a hurdle to climb for the No. 1 seed and they had to again play the Chiefs in Kansas City for the AFC Championship.
Last season, also on July 27, Burrow was weakened by the appendectomy that weakened him to start the season. This year, Burrow is not dealing with such an impediment. Instead, the only thing he needs to be sure of is his timing with new faces like Irv Smith Jr., rookie Charlie Jones and new left tackle Orlando Brown Jr.
While Burrow didn’t speak to the media on Wednesday he did have a simple message when he was back in the huddle on Wednesday for the first time in 32 days.
“What’s up guys, how’s it going?” That’s about it,” Tee Higgins reported. “He was like, ‘What’s up guys? How it’s going?’ and then called the play. Right back to business. When I went out there. I was like, ‘Woo, Shiesty is back? OK.
“It felt good, just to see him out there, see the big smile on his face. It was good to see him out there.”
The big smile on Burrow’s face probably was a small grin compared to the inner joy of his teammates, coaches and every single Bengal fan with Super Bowl dreams of Las Vegas spinning in their heads.
“Sure. Just excited to get the season back going. A lot of high hopes for this team, and guys in the locker room feel the same way. We’re just ready to go play,” Higgins added.
“I definitely feel like it gave the guys some extra juice, just to go out there and show them we’ve been working hard, even though he’s been getting treated up. We just wanted to show him that we’re (not missing anything). We’re still at the same spot as when he first got hurt.”
In other words, Burrow may not have been on the field working, but his teammates have been and they’ll be ready to hit the ground running in Cleveland Sept. 10.
The biggest catch of the day did not coming from Higgins, Ja’Marr Chase or Tyler Boyd. Instead it was Charlie Jones who caught a dime on a 50-yard go-ball from Burrow.
“He looked pretty good. He looked fluid, threw a dime and I was like ‘Oh yeah, he’s back,'” Higgins said of the pass to the rookie. “Yeah, he caught it. He put it right in the bread basket so there was no other choice. Looks like he’s 100 percent ready to go.”
“It was right on the money,” Jones said. “It was good to see him out there. I haven’t really gotten a lot of reps with him, so it was definitely nice. It was good to see him out there moving around and feeling good so I’m happy for him that he’s out there.
“I think everybody’s excited to see him out there. I know everybody is excited to see him out there. I’m hoping he stays healthy and each day he keeps getting better and better and he continues to be out there.”
With Burrow back on the field, the chief commander of the offense was back in control. That perhaps meant more than all of the completed passes combined, passes by the way safety Michael Thomas said never hit the ground on his first day back.
“He’s good man. He has total control over the offense,” Chase said. “He’s just a calm dude. He just knows how to stay positive about the whole situation. And he’s still coaching everyone while he’s on the side. I think that’s the biggest thing about him playing his role and being a leader.”
Chase knows Burrow better than anyone in the Bengals locker room. He knows his quarterback can be stubborn when it comes to playing through pain and injury.
“Yeah I asked him. He told me he feels good,” Chase said. “That’s the good thing about it. But he’s hard-headed. He’s going to tell me anything to make me feel good. That’s why I don’t really ask him much about his health.
“I want him to be a little straight up. He’s straight up to me, but like if it’s me asking how you feeling he’s like, okay, I’m good and brush it off but that’s how he is. He’s a tough guy.”
Chase admitted he was a little concerned that Burrow would push it and try to come back a little too soon.
“Hell yeah. That’s why I told him don’t come until Week 5,” Chase said, repeating what he told reporters shortly after the injury. “I don’t want you back until you know you’re ready. But like a same thing with me (last year with the hip), he didn’t tell me that. But in my mind I said, ‘I’m going to be back when you want me to be there and be ready.’ I’m saying it’s just about being your healthiest.”
Joe Burrow receiving snaps Wednesday at Bengals practice pic.twitter.com/ETiWtpHbMw
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) August 30, 2023
Burrow is back – presumably at his healthiest. Now, there’s just a little matter of a contract extension and everything will truly be all systems go.
This and That:
The Bengals announced their initial practice squad on Wednesday. Of the 14 signed, 13 were already with the team in camp and the preseason. The Bengals can add up to two more to the practice squad if they so choose. Veterans Michael Thomas, Stanley Morgan, Sidney Jones IV and Tanner Hudson chose to re-sign with the Bengals and didn’t need to clear waivers. Nine others, including Jeff Gunter a 2022 seventh-round pick, cleared waivers and re-signed with the Bengals. And the final player, quarterback Will Grier, was signed after being released by the Cowboys as part of their cutdown to 53 on Tuesday. Grier joined Burrow and Jake Browning at practice on Wednesday.
The practice squad includes two offensive linemen (Jaxson Kirkland, Nate Gilliam), three receivers (Stanley Morgan, Kwamie Lassiter II, Shedrick Jackson), one safety (Michael Thomas), two corners (Sidney Jones IV, Allan George), two linebackers (Shaka Heyward, Tyler Murray), one defensive end (Jeff Gunter), one defensive tackle (Domenique Davis), one tight end (Tanner Hudson) and one QB (Will Grier).
There were two Bengals cut who caught on with other teams. Hakeem Adeniji signed with the Minnesota Vikings while receiver Trent Taylor signed with the Chicago Bears.
The Bengals, like most NFL teams, will be off three days starting Friday for the Labor Day weekend, returning to practice on Labor Day Monday to get ready for the season opener. It’s one final chance to catch some personal time and spend some time with the family before the grind of the season begins next week.
