CINCINNATI – Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow will make his preseason debut this Sunday.
Burrow is expected to get a limited number of catches against the Miami Dolphins, Bengals coach Zac Taylor said Wednesday. The No. 1 pick in the 2020 draft missed the first two display games as he continued to recover from left knee surgery last December.
“We have to do the best for Joe and the best for the team,” Taylor said. “We felt this is what fits best.”
Burrow was cleaned up for football activities in July. Before starting the team’s training camp, Taylor and team president Mike Brown initially indicated that Burrow was not going to play in the preseason. In his interviews with the media during training camp, Burrow continually expressed a desire to get a few snapshots before the team’s opening first week against Minnesota. Taylor said the Burrow lobby played no role in the decision to have him play against Miami, which is also the only preseason game at Cincinnati’s Paul Brown Stadium.
Taylor said the plan for Burrow to face the Dolphins was not new information for the sophomore quarterback.
“I probably told him a couple of weeks ago that this was an option and I probably knew more recently that it was a reality,” Taylor said.
The Bengals ’third-year coach said Burrow’s use will be“ very limited, ”as the team continues to take precautions before the regular season begins.