Joe Burrow 'Looks as Good as He's Ever Looked' Amid Calf Injury Rehab, per Bengals HC

Joe Burrow appears to be nearing 100 percent healed from his calf strain.

Cincinnati Bengals coach Zac Taylor told reporters Monday that Burrow has looked "great" as the regular season inches closer.

"He looks great. Physically walking around, he looks as good as he's ever looked," Taylor said.

Burrow has not practiced since suffering a calf strain early in training camp. No formal timetable has been given for his return to practice, but he's widely expected to be available for the Bengals' season opener against the Cleveland Browns.

Burrow has not participated in a full preseason since his rookie campaign in 2020, though preseason games were canceled that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He missed part of the 2021 preseason while recovering from a torn ACL and then sat out during the 2022 exhibition season after undergoing an appendix removal.

The lack of preseason reps has not held Burrow back, as he's emerged as one of the NFL's premier passers. He threw for 4,475 yards and 35 touchdowns against 12 interceptions last season, earning a Pro Bowl berth and leading the Bengals to their second straight AFC Championship Game appearance.

Cincinnati is favored to make another deep run in the playoffs with Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd and Joe Mixon all returning to give the Bengals perhaps the league's most formidable offense.

Burrow's health will be paramount to that effort, so Cincinnati treating him with kid gloves in the preseason is understandable. It'll be interesting to see how Burrow fares when he gets his first look at in-game action in Week 1.