Bengals' Joe Burrow yearns for 'normal offseason' after pandemic, physical setbacks

Quarterback Joe Burrow guided the Cincinnati Bengals to a Super Bowl LVI berth even though he has yet to enjoy what would be seen as a typical summer for any NFL starting signal-caller. 

Burrow initially joined the Bengals as the first overall selection of the 2020 draft but then watched, along with teammates, as training camps were altered and the entire preseason schedule was scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He then spent most of the spring and summer of 2021 working to fully recover from the torn ACL and MCL in his left knee that prematurely ended his rookie season. 

This time around, Burrow required an appendectomy in late July that had kept him from participating in team practice drills until Wednesday. Per ESPN's Ben Baby and Nick Shook of the NFL's website, the 25-year-old admitted before the session he'd prefer to avoid such setbacks moving forward. 

"Yeah, I'd like to have a normal offseason at some point," Burrow remarked. "That'd be great going into the season feeling as good as I can. But that hasn't been the reality for three years, so you make the most of what you've got. We'll try again next year."

For what it's worth, any supposed preseason disruptions or distractions didn't seem to bother Burrow last season. Per ESPN stats, he finished the campaign sixth overall with 4,611 passing yards, eighth with 34 touchdowns through the air and 12th among eligible quarterbacks with a 54.3 total QBR. 

Burrow did add that he doesn't expect to take a snap in the final two preseason contests and will instead look to re-gain weight that he lost ahead of the Week 1 home game versus the division-rival Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 11. 

"I think it will be OK," Burrow said about the process. "I think we have a good plan as far as nutrition, weight room, and rehab and all that good stuff. I'm feeling really good right now and just going to keep feeling better."