Bengals' Joe Burrow shares major injury update

The Cincinnati Bengals are one of the most-improved teams in the league, at least on paper, after an aggressive offseason.

They spent big bucks and valuable draft capital to fix their defense, the team's Achilles heel during the Joe Burrow era.

Of course, they will also need to have their superstar quarterback back to full strength to return to the playoffs after another disappointing campaign under Zac Taylor.

In a recent interview with USA Today, the former No. 1 pick shared an encouraging update about his turf toe injury. 

Joe Burrow feels better than ever

“It’s the best I’ve felt in a long time,” Burrow said. “I had some tough years with injuries and stuff, and it took a while to get my body the way I wanted it, but now I’m in a really good place. I had a lot of time this year. You know, I hurt my big toe in Week 2, and I couldn’t be on the field, but it wasn’t as debilitating an injury as some of the others I’ve had.”

Burrow suffered the injury in Week 2, derailing -- again -- a once-promising campaign for the Bengals.

He rushed his way back to the field late in the season, but to no avail. Now, there's no margin for error, with a much-improved defense, a head coach likely on the hot seat and one of the best offensive supporting casts in the game.

When healthy, Burrow has already proven to be one of the league's finest, but the Bengals' shaky defense has had them starring in way too many shootouts; that's simply not sustainable. They expect that to change this season.

Burrow has dealt with a myriad of injuries since he entered the league, and his health -- or lack thereof -- will make or break his team's chances again this season.