Joe Burrow: Rehabbing wrist 'felt good' after Bengals return to practice field Monday

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow threw with his offensive teammates this week as he takes another step in his recovery from last season’s wrist surgery.

Burrow missed the final seven games of last season after tearing a ligament in his right (throwing) wrist. The injury happened Nov. 16 in Baltimore for a divisional game against the Ravens. It was supposed to be a marquee Thursday Night game, between Burrow and Lamar Jackson, two of the NFL’s most dynamic quarterbacks. Instead, Burrow left the game in the first half. He had surgery five days after Thanksgiving. It brought to a close a Bengals season that started with Burrows’ calf injury and then ended with a bad wrist.

But Burrow was back on the field this week as part of the Bengals OTA practices.

“I felt good the last couple of days,” Burrow told reporters. “I don’t ever know how it’s going to feel until I wake up the next morning, but I was encouraged by the last couple of days for sure.”

.@joeyb is a man on a mission.

Offseason Workouts | @KetteringHealth pic.twitter.com/0HlBzbMrpT

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) May 6, 2024

Doctors have cleared Burrow to do most anything on the practice field. Except he can’t go through contact drills. Of course, given that he’s a quarterback, all contact is to be avoided on any practice day, anyway.

As for contact drills, “that’ll come in the next month probably.” Burrow said. “But there’s no rush; season doesn’t start for a while. So, we’re in a good spot.”

The Bengals were in a bad spot for much of last season. If you’re a Cincinnati fan, there were big expectations for 2023. But those took a hit at the start of training camp when Burrow strained his calf muscle. The injury still lingered into the season. Burrow, the former LSU star, has suffered a variety of injuries since he joined the NFL as the first pick of the 2020 draft. So he bulked up some since the surgery so his body can better withstand contact.

“We’re bigger,” the Bengals quarterback said. “Definitely bigger. We’ll see where I’m at at the end of the offseason. I feel good about where my body is at right now. I’m going to continue to get stronger and bigger throughout the offseason and just kind of play it by ear depending on how I feel.

“I’m really strong,” he added. “Bigger than I was. We’re going to continue to eat right, lift and go through my routine and see where I’m at.”

Plus, he also needs to deal with having an injury to his throwing arm.

“Whenever you have an injury to your throwing side, you’re never quite sure how it’s going to turn out at the end,” he explained. “But I’m in a good spot. I’m happy with where I’m at, and I’m going to continue to get better.”