3 noteworthy quotes from Joe Burrow ahead of second preseason game

Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow spoke to the media on Wednesday morning ahead of the team’s practice. What did the quarterback have to say? 

Joe Burrow had an appendectomy right before Cincinnati Bengals training camp got underway so it took until this past weekend for him to throw the ball and practice. He spoke with the media on Wednesday and gave some insight as to what’s going on in Joe Brrr-land.

Here are the most noteworthy quotes from Burrow during his press conference.

“I don’t anticipate that I’ll be playing in a preseason game.”

Preseason games are important because they give the guys lower on the depth chart a fighting chance at making the roster. Preseason games also give the starters limited reps together so they can gel a bit before the start of the season.

At the same time, however, a team like the Bengals doesn’t have much to gain by throwing Burrow out there. Injuries can happen in the preseason all the time and with Burrow’s previous injury history,  the team wants to keep him upright and ready to go for Week 1 against the Steelers.

Zac Taylor had previously said that he didn’t need to see Joey Franchise in action but the quarterback confirmed as much when speaking to the media.

This isn’t a surprise by any means. Why throw Burrow out there? It wouldn’t make much sense. It looks like it’ll be Brandon Allen, Jake Browning, and Drew Plitt for the rest of the preseason.

“It doesn’t mean anything if I go out there and stink it up this season.”

Any diehard NFL fan knows that the best time for a team to win a Super Bowl is when their quarterback is on a rookie contract. The Bengals saw the benefits of having Joe Burrow on a rookie deal last year when the team made it to the Super Bowl and they’ll continue to reap the benefits of that this year.

Next year, however, could be when the team is in a trickier spot. They don’t want to get into a situation like the Ravens find themselves in with Lamar Jackson so extending Burrow next offseason is the smart route.

Burrow, however, knows that an extension isn’t a guarantee if he doesn’t play well and he said as much during his presser.

Unless Burrow is absolute garbage in 2022 (doubtful), the Bengals are going to extend him. They’d be fools not to. Good on Burrow though for being mature about it so far.

“When he’s ready to come back we’ll be excited to have him.”

The biggest storyline for the Bengals this offseason has been Jessie Bates’ contract situation. The two sides failed to reach an agreement on an extension so Bates has not signed his franchise tag and as of this writing, has not showed up to practice. He was seen at the preseason opener watching the game with a Reds hat on, though.

Burrow was asked about his teammate and noted that the team will be ready to embrace him whenever he’s ready to come back.

I would expect nothing less from Burrow on this subject. He knows that football is a business and he’s letting Bates do his thing. He’s right that Bates will be embraced by the squad when he decides it’s time to return to the team and get ready for the season.