Bengals ‘encouraged’ with quarterback Joe Burrow’s progression post-appendectomy

Cincinnati Bengals star quarterback Joe Burrow’s training camp did not get off to the start he thought it might.

Burrow underwent an emergency appendectomy on July 26. The Bengals are 10 days into training camp and while he has been present at practice for the last few days, he has yet to return to be cleared.

He first made an appearance on the training fields Aug. 1 as he arrived on a golf cart. During his first few days at practice, Burrow looked noticeably uncomfortable and couldn’t stand up.

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On Monday, Burrow stood for nearly the entire practice and did some light throwing off to the side. According to Bengals head coach Zac Taylor, Burrow is progressing well.

“I think what you see is what you get,” Taylor said. “He looks good to me. He's starting to get better every single day. Again, I don't want to put a timeline on when he gets out here and starts throwing and stuff, but it's been encouraging. He's back to himself in meetings and so looking good. I've never had that surgery; don't know how it feels so not going to make any predictions, but we're excited about the progress he's making."

The Bengals host their first preseason game Friday, Aug. 12, against the Arizona Cardinals and it’s almost certain Burrow will not play in any preseason games. Taylor has opted not to put a timeline on when his quarterback will start practicing or if he’ll play but given the fact he has yet to practice at this point during camp, it’s highly unlikely he’ll do anything contact-related for a few weeks.

"He knows himself way better than we do,” Taylor said. “I trust the communications with him when we're going to get him back out here. In the meantime, we're getting good work with these other quarterbacks. We've got plenty of time before the opener and I trust that we'll have a good process in place."

Taylor is big on taking extra precautions with his players as they return from injuries. He would rather err on the side of caution than suffer a setback, especially with his star quarterback.

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When asked if Burrow’s weight loss from the surgery is concerning, Taylor said the way Burrow takes care of his body leaves him with no hesitation.

"No, I think he did a good job of taking care of himself in the offseason, so he's in a good place," Taylor said.

While it could and likely will be a while before Burrow is fully cleared and is practicing with pads on, seeing him toss a ball around and be able to stand for a full practice was a positive.

The ideal time for Burrow to make his return, if he can, to practice would be a few days before the Los Angeles Rams come to town for joint practices against the Bengals on Aug. 24. With the little amount of preseason action Cincinnati’s starters will likely see, the team is hoping to get a lot of productive work out of the joint practices due to it being a controlled setting.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Joe Burrow’s post-appendectomy progress encouraging for Bengals