Joe Burrow is the Cincinnati Bengals' present and future. There's no doubt about that. So head coach Zac Taylor is doing everything he can to protect him, even if that means protecting him from himself.
Just eight months removed from suffering a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee and having his rookie season cut short after just 10 games, Burrow, the Bengals' franchise quarterback, looks to be back to full speed early in his second NFL training camp. But Taylor said Saturday he's still being overly cautious.
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"He looks really good," Taylor said. "It's on us to protect him through that process as well a little bit. There's times when we scale him back just like Trey Hopkins, just like D.J. Reader, all these guys. ... But Joe looks good and seems to feel real good."
Center Trey Hopkins is working his way back from the torn ACL he suffered in last season's finale, while nose tackle D.J. Reader is recovering from the torn quad that ended his 2020 season in the fifth week. But the difference between those injuries and the injury to Burrow is Burrow has the weight of the franchise resting on his.
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Day 4 of Bengals training camp was "Back Together Saturday" for the team and its fans at Paul Brown Stadium. The crowd of about 6,000 fans cheered loudly as Burrow, sporting a brace on his left knee, raced onto the field. It was their first look at the 2020 No. 1 overall pick since he was hauled off on a cart at Washington on Nov. 22, 2020.
Burrow, or "Joey Franchise" as he was introduced to the crowd by Bengals tight end C.J. Uzomah, was ready for the ovation. He's always ready, Taylor said.
"There's often times I ask him, 'Hey, do you want to do this?' And he says, 'Yes.' So then it's on us to know he's usually going to say yes to a lot of things," Taylor said. "So we'll do our best to pull him back when we feel it's necessary just like anybody coming off an ACL."
Saturday couldn't have come fast enough for Burrow after a Friday practice that saw the defense dominate Burrow's offense.
Several of Burrow's passes fell incomplete, either because they were dropped or broken up by the defense. Pretty much nothing went well for the offense other than a spectacular grab by speedy, 5-foot-8 wide receiver Trent Taylor.
"I think that the defense is doing a great job competing in the pass game right now," Zac Taylor said. "I didn't think it was our best day as an offense. ... It's really on the unit as a whole. There's probably more incompletions than we want. ... As the head coach, it's really encouraging. As the play-caller on offense, I want more success on offense."
Backup quarterback Brandon Allen took some of the first-team snaps from Burrow during team drills on Friday. Burrow was held off the field during Saturday's walkthrough, Taylor said.
"There's just some stuff to take off his plate right now," he said. "So certain types of plays, if there's not a lot required of the quarterback other than handing the ball off, that's the time we've thrown him out."
The Bengals are off Sunday before ramping up practice and putting on full pads beginning Tuesday. Cincinnati will face its first unfriendly test of the preseason Aug. 14 at the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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