Joe Burrow faced the media for the first time since an appendectomy on July 26, and he’ll be all the way back by the season opener.
The third-year star said he’s looking to add more weight and return to his former measurables prior to the Bengals’ opener vs. Pittsburgh on September 11.
‘I’m getting exponentially better each day,’ Burrow told reporters Wednesday.
Joe Burrow says he’ll be ‘great’ once the Pittsburgh Steelers come to town on September 11
‘Each day that I’m in the weight room, each day that I’m on the field I’m feeling stronger and stronger, so by Game 1 I’ll be feeling great.’
‘We have a good plan as far as nutrition and weight room and all that stuff. I feel good right now and just going to keep feeling better.’
Burrow is not expecting to play in Cincinnati’s preseason games — he did not play in last year’s iteration either.
Burrow has attracted a legion of fans thanks to his personality and team’s run to Super Bowl
Despite initial thought suggesting it was a run-of-the-mill operation, things became more complicated.
‘It wasn’t normal appendicitis that you hear about,’ Burrow admitted. ‘I didn’t really feel much.
‘Just getting checked out and had some discomfort so we thought we’d get it checked out. Turns out I had it. So we had to get it fixed.’
Prior to rejoining practice, Burrow was seen driving a medical cart around the team facility
Burrow began participating in training camp on Sunday, threw passes in 7-on-7 drills and was set to participated in 11-on-11 drills, Wednesday.
Despite the interrupted preseason — not too dissimilar to last year — Burrow isn’t phased, with the ultra-calm quarterback ready to rely on past experience.
‘I just think my whole career has been coming back from speed bumps and adversity,’ he said. ‘I don’t know anything else. It’s another speed bump in the way.’
Burrow transcended sports and fashion with his attire prior to the AFC Championship Game
Head coach Zac Taylor told reporters the Bengals’ remaining practices will be honed in on getting Burrow ready to go Sept. 11.
‘Trust me, we’ve dialed out every practice, and he and I have had conversations about how many opportunities we have left to make sure we check all the boxes before we go into Week 1,’ Taylor said.
‘And we feel very confident that we´ll be able to do that and be prepared going into that game.’