CINCINNATI — Joe Burrow wanted to play in the preseason finale on Thursday night, but coach Zac Taylor said Burrow’s actions earlier this week meant there was no need for Cincinnati’s star quarterback to play before Week 1.
Burrow and Cincinnati’s entire projected starters watched from the sidelines in the 27-14 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Taylor said Burrow looked good during Tuesday’s practice with the Colts.
“I think that was the defining moment of the end of training camp,” Taylor said Thursday. “It was the right thing to do.”
During Thursday night’s broadcast, Burrow indicated he wanted to be on the field, taking charge of the first drive in the preseason opener against Tampa Bay and then not practicing during a game until the final game against the Colts.
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Taylor said Burrow’s availability for Thursday night’s game was “under consideration at times,” but the decision to keep him and the other starters healthy outweighed the benefit of the pre-game preparation work.
As Burrow continues to recover from a season-ending injury to ligaments in his throwing wrist, the Bengals managed his workload during offseason workouts and training camp.
But Taylor said his practice with the Colts looked like one of his best performances from a year ago, given his accuracy, decision-making and success rate.
“I thought the Colts practice was one of his best practices this year and it reminded me a lot of the games he played last year when he was healthy,” Taylor said.
Bengals wide receiver Kwamee Lassiter II said Burrow stepped up in the pocket, had good passing speed and showed great ball placement, including two passes to wide receiver Tee Higgins.
Lassiter said it’s probably no coincidence that Burrow played against other teams instead of against his teammates in a normal practice.
“He’s very competitive,” Lassiter said Thursday night. “He’s going to try to beat whoever’s in front of him, like all athletes do. He’s had a good practice.”
Burrow was not scheduled to speak to reporters after the game, but did say “I’ll see you in two weeks” as he entered the locker room.
