Burrow: Despite social media chatter, no worries about wrist

Asked about the reaction to how he picked up the water bottle, Burrow said he was simply getting a drink.

“I picked it up weird?” Burrow asked. “I don’t know. I drink water. Can’t say I have seen that or know what anyone is talking about.”

On Wednesday, social media also questioned why he was wearing a wristband on his throwing arm, though that has been a norm for Burrow.

Burrow also has been seen flexing his wrist since he returned to the field for the Bengals’ offseason workout program, but it became a big topic after the offense struggled Sunday in an opening 16-10 loss to New England.

“Yeah, I’m doing that all the time,” Burrow said when why he flexes the wrist. “When you’re coming back from an injury, you’re always trying to keep the joint loose. That’s part of ligament injuries. If you don’t move it, you’re going to lose it, so I’m always moving it around, keeping it loose, keeping my mobility the way it’s supposed to be, so it’s going to continue to happen. I do it at home, I do it here, I do it all the time.”

Burrow said the wrist “feels better this week than it did last week, than it did the week before,” and he was not hindered by the November injury during Sunday’s game. He admitted there were a couple of plays where he did not take advantage of 1-on-1 opportunities to push the ball down the field, but he said there aren’t any throws he is not physically capable of making.

After missing the final seven games of the 2023 season because of the wrist injury, Burrow said “it’s a luxury” to now be scrutinized for how he played Sunday. He would rather that than to be sitting. He also suggested that maybe if the team performed better, fans wouldn’t be speculating so much about his wrist.

“I am focusing on the day-to-day trying to get better,” Burrow said. “We got better today. We had a really good practice. That’s part of playing quarterback in the NFL. You are going to get scrutinized if you don’t play up to the standard that you have set for yourself. I have set that standard for myself. I needed to go out there and hit that. I didn’t on Sunday. Going to continue to get better and look forward to another opportunity on Sunday.”

The Bengals travel to play the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, and those preparations began Wednesday with the first practice of the week. Tee Higgins (hamstring), Logan Wilson (knee), Tanner Hudson (knee) and Kris Jenkins (thumb) did not participate Wednesday, and B.J. Hill (knee) and Amarius Mims (pec) were limited.

Bengals coach Zac Taylor said the team will take it “day-to-day” with Higgins and a few other players.

“He’s making good progress,” Taylor said of Higgins. “Him and a couple of other guys — Amarius (Mims) and Tanner Hudson is going to be in that boat for a couple of days as well. There are a couple of guys we’ll keep managing through the week.”