Joe Burrow will get a chance to get some live reps under his belt before the former No. 1 overall pick begins his second season with the Bengals. Cincinnati coach Zac Taylor announced on Wednesday that his starting quarterback will play a limited number of snaps in the Bengals' preseason finale on Sunday at home against the Dolphins.
The news comes a month after team owner/president Mike Brown previously said that Burrow playing in the preseason would be unlikely. On the first day of training camp, Burrow expressed his desire to get some live reps before the start of the regular season. Burrow has been practicing at full speed during camp after missing the final six games of his rookie season with a torn ACL.
"We'll have that discussion with Zac and ownership," Burrow said at the time, via Jay Morrison of The Athletic. "I'd like to get out there and feel the rush at least a couple of times. Don't have to play the full game, but I would like to get out there a little bit."
The Bengals have given Burrow some added help this season. In order to help keep him upright, the Bengals signed veteran right tackle Riley Reiff. They also drafted three offensive linemen in tackles Jackson Carman and D'Ante Smith along with center Trey Hill. Cincinnati also reunited Burrow with his former LSU teammate Ja'Marr Chase. The fifth overall pick, Chase is looking to bounce back after dropping several passes during his first two preseason games.
Will Joe Burrow come back healthy this season? Can Ja'Marr Chase live up to the hype? Download the CBS Sports app to see the latest news from our team of football experts, player projections, and more. If you already have the app, set the Bengals as your favorite team to get up-to-the-minute headlines.
A year after leading the Tigers to a national championship, Burrow led the NFL in passing before suffering his season-ending injury. And while outside expectations are high for the Bengals' offense in 2021, Burrow said that he remains his biggest critic.
"I can guarantee my expectations of myself and everyone around me are higher than anybody else's, so when I hear everything that kind of goes in one ear and out the other," Burrow said earlier this month. "I just have to work through it on my own, kind of dark mode. Not talking to anybody right now outside of football. It's just something I have to work through."
How to watch
Date: Sunday, Aug. 29 | Time: 4 p.m. ET
Location: Paul Brown Stadium (Cincinnati, OH)
TV: CBS | Stream: Paramount+ (click here)
Follow: CBS Sports App
Odds: Dolphins -1.5
