What the Bengals accomplish on the field Friday night in their preseason opener against the Green Bay Packers will pale in comparison to the positive development Cincinnati received prior to the exhibition contest.
Bengals franchise quarterback Joe Burrow clearly is on the mend after suffering a hold-your-breath non-contact injury during the opening week of training camp that turned out to be a calf strain.
Burrow was on the field at Paycor Stadium prior to the matchup with the Packers, running sprints sideline-to-sideline and also throwing 50-yard deep balls down the field, per the Enquirer's Charlie Goldsmith. The NFL Network's Bridget Condon even got a video of Burrow getting in some conditioning as he tests his calf.
There haven't been many reports on Burrow's health since the injury aside from Bengals head coach Zac Taylor saying the signal-caller would be out for "several weeks."
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There's no definitive timetable for Burrow's return, but he's certainly heading in the right direction. It's still unclear if the fourth-year pro will be available to the Bengals in their regular-season opener against the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 10, which is nearly four weeks away.
Burrow last season threw for 4,475 yards with 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while leading the Bengals to the AFC Championship Game.
The Bengals are viewed as a Super Bowl contender again this season, but that's only with a healthy Burrow running Cincinnati's offense.
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Featured image via Kareem Elgazzarvia The Cincinnati Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK Images