Bengals' Joe Burrow Cleared for Full Contact Amid Rehab from Surgery on Wrist Injury

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor confirmed starting quarterback Joe Burrow has been cleared for full contact at practice.

The 2022 Pro Bowler was limited to 10 starts last year after suffering a torn ligament in his right wrist that required surgery.

As his recovery lingered into the offseason, the Bengals worked to ease any concerns about how Burrow's preparations were being impacted.

Offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher told Geoff Hobson of the team's official site in May the veteran signal-caller wasn't on a "pitch count" but that the team was following a dedicated plan when it came to his workload.

"We designed the whole thing to stay within the constraints of where the medical people think he should be and where he wants to be right now," he said. "Nobody is sitting there with a special pitch counter. But we've been smart how we put it together."

Having Burrow back to practice without any limitations is obviously big for Cincinnati.

Jake Browning played reasonably well when thrust into the starting role. He threw for 1,936 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions, and his 60.1 QBR was actually higher than that of Burrow (51.6).

Still, Burrow's importance for the Bengals' Super Bowl aspirations is obvious to anybody who has watched how much his arrival altered the franchise's trajectory. With him under center, Cincy remains a threat to dethrone the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC.