Joe Burrow Discusses Distraction Level Surrounding Bengals, Trey Hendrickson To Start Minicamp

 The Trey Hendrickson contract saga has no end in sight and Joe Burrow acknowledged it is a distraction following the first Bengals minicamp session of the summer.

Hendrickson is reportedly not appearing at practice this week as he continues seeking a new contract with one year remaining on his deal.

"Of course," Burrow said about the situation being a distraction. "Last year we had two. This year, we have one, so we do have less [contract problems]. You'd love to have none but we are all supporting Trey and would love to have him back."

Getting everyone on board as soon as possible can only help the team work through its slow-start issues in the Zac Taylor era. The team is 7-14-1 in September under Taylor.

"Ideally," Burrow said about having a full team at the start of training camp to start better. "It's not always realistic. At the end of the day, we have to go out and play better earlier in the season, and that's on us. We take ownership of that. I think we have a plan coming into training camp that will help with that and get us a little bit more ready, but at the end of the day, it's on us."

The Bengals franchise QB also noted that young guys like Myles Murphy can get more reps in Hendrickson's absence. Meanwhile, Burrow and the fully available Bengals offense will continue sharpening their marks throughout this week.