Zac Taylor provides update on Joe Burrow following offseason surgery

The Cincinnati Bengals are still waiting on the return of star quarterback Joe Burrow after he underwent his offseason surgery following his second NFL season. On Monday, head coach Zac Taylor provided an update on the status of Burrow.

“I think what you see is what you get. He looks good to me. He’s starting to get better every single day,” said Taylor, according to The Athletics Jay Morrison. “Again, I don’t want to put a timeline on when he gets out here and starts throwing and stuff, but it’s been encouraging. He’s back to himself in meetings and so looking good. I’ve never had that surgery; don’t know how it feels, so not going to make any predictions, but we’re excited about the progress he’s making.”

Late in the month of July, the former LSU Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback underwent surgery to remove his appendix. And with the surgery happening so close to the start of training camp, it was apparent that Burrow would be unavailable to practice until he fully recovered. The team also appears to be trusting their quarterback with his recovery process.

“He knows himself way better than we do. I trust the communications with him when we’re going to get him back out here. … We’ve got plenty of time before the opener and I trust that we’ll have a good process in place.”

Burrow led the Bengals on a whirlwind ride culminating in a Super Bowl berth. And had it not been for the late game heroics of dominant All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald, Cincinnati might have left Super Bowl LVI (56) as the victors. During the season, Burrow led the NFL in completion percentage (70.4) and aveage passing yards per play (8.9) on his way to capturing the league’s 2021 Comeback Player of the Year award.

While Cincinnati is still without its star signal caller, the Bengals still have time before the start of the regular season. Preseason games are typically where young players and veterans looking for a team get an opportunity to show what they can bring to an NFL franchise. But with Burrow showing that he can lead the Bengals all the way to the Super Bowl, Cincinnati should be okay if he sits out a preseason game or all of it. It’s better for them to get their quarterback back 100 percent than to rush him back and risk him being out when the games count.