Joe Burrow has spent enough training camps dealing with one setback after another that the Bengals have finally reached a point where they can do something about it.
That’s the shift in Cincinnati this summer. Burrow has had to work through a knee injury entering his second season, an appendix issue, a calf tweak, and then a wrist injury that was described as career threatening. Last offseason and training camp were the healthiest he’d been in a long time, but the Bengals didn’t have nearly the same level of talent around him then that they do now.
This time, the temptation might be to pile on the reps. Burrow and the Bengals started 2-0 last season before a pass protection breakdown led to his latest major medical issue, turf toe. But with stronger depth behind him, Cincinnati has a real chance to manage his workload instead of pushing him through everything.
That starts with the quarterback room. Joe Flacco and Josh Johnson give the Bengals 37 combined years of NFL experience, and Flacco in particular gives them a legitimate option to absorb some of the first-team work.
He played well while Burrow was out during the 2025 campaign, wanted a starting opportunity in free agency, and ended up back in Cincinnati. At this stage of his career, he’d likely welcome the chance to throw to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins while taking some of the load off Burrow.
Burrow will still be central to everything the Bengals do in camp. But the coaching staff is in a rare spot, too: Cincinnati is the only team in the AFC North that did not have any turnover on its staff this offseason. Zac Taylor is back as head coach, and so are the rest of the key assistants.
The Bengals’ leaders were active throughout the offseason program, including new additions Dexter Lawrence and Bryan Cook. Everyone in the building understands the opportunity in front of them. Taylor even cut mandatory minicamp short by two days after just one practice, a sign of how locked in this group already is.
There’s also no shortage of chemistry to lean on. Burrow already has a deep connection with Chase and Higgins, and there’s plenty of comfort with Mike “TEINO” Gesicki, too.
The bigger picture is simple enough. This is a 17-game season, Burrow has missed 16 games over the last three years, and the Bengals now have the continuity and the roster strength to be smarter with him. With all 11 offensive starters back and less pressure on him to drag a bad defense from the opening week, giving Burrow a little more rest in camp makes a lot of sense.
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