Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has had a rough go of it throughout his NFL career in training camp. He came off a devastating knee injury entering his second season. Another year, his appendix exploded. A tweaked calf hampered him on another occasion.
Even prior to his best year as a pro yet, Burrow was recovering from a literal career threatening wrist injury. Last offseason and training camp were the healthiest he'd been in a long time. The difference? His offensive line and overall roster weren't nearly as talented.
The probable temptation will be for Burrow to get as many reps as he can because even as the Bengals started 2-0 last season, a pass protection breakdown triggered Joe's latest grueling medical setback: turf toe.
Thanks to the presence of 37 combined years of NFL experience in the quarterback room in Joe Flacco and Josh Johnson (not making that number up), Cincinnati can actually afford to give Burrow some blows before the real games begin.
Strong QB depth should allow Bengals to manage Joe Burrow's training camp workload
Flacco is an elite backup who played well in Burrow’s stead during the 2025 campaign. The quadragenarian wonder wanted a shot at a starting gig in free agency but got no such opportunity. Thus, Cincinnati resigned him, and in all honesty, at this juncture of his career, Flacco would be thrilled to take some of the first-team camp reps load off of Burrow just for the chance to sling it around the yard to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
Not to suggest that Burrow won't be heavily involved in how camp unfolds. It's just that the Bengals are the only coaching staff in the AFC North to not have any turnover this offseason. Zac Taylor is back as head coach, as are all the other key members of his staff.
Burrow and the rest of the Bengals’ leaders, including new players like Dexter Lawrence and Bryan Cook, were active participants in the offseason program. They all know what's at stake. They all know how talented this team is.
Remember when Taylor cancelled mandatory minicamp two days early? After only one practice? Yeah. That's how dialed in this 2026 Cincinnati group is. Already.
There's so much innate chemistry between Burrow and Chase, Burrow and Higgins, and even Burrow and — I swear this will catch on — Mike "TEINO” Gesicki (Tight End In Name Only).
Should it just be "TINO" so it comes across like a real name? Still workshopping. Maybe I’ll put this up to public survey. Crowdsourcing! As they used to call it in J-school.
Anyway, Taylor should strongly consider giving Burrow a bit more rest than usual this training camp.
The reasons for this are plentiful. It’s a long 17-game season. Joe has missed 16 games in the last three years. There’s so much continuity on offense — including the return of all 11 starters — and for once, the weight of the world isn’t on the face of the franchise to carry a dreadful defense from Week 1 on.
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