Brown was on the opposing side of the field when Burrow’s first comeback season, following 2020 knee surgery, reached its peak in the Bengals’ win at Kansas City in the AFC Championship.
Two years later, Brown signed with Cincinnati in 2023 for a chance to protect Burrow’s blindside, but their first season together was derailed when Burrow tore a ligament in his wrist attempting a pass in a Week 10 game at Baltimore.
Now, Burrow is attempting another comeback, and although his surgery was unique for a player at his position, the Bengals are once again confidently following his lead as they kick off their season Sunday against New England at Paycor Stadium.
“He looks great,” Brown said. “He’s the biggest driving force in our building, and I’m glad we were able to get him through training camp healthy and into the season. And obviously with him being available all that time, it allows everyone to get on the same page and it’s such a huge difference, I think, for everybody. It’s going to be a great season for him, and we all know that gives the team a great chance of success as well.”
Burrow enjoyed a normal training camp for the first time in his NFL career and said he feels “great” going into the season.
The COVID-19 pandemic impacted his rookie preseason, and ACL rehab limited him in 2021 training camp. The following year he was still building back strength following an appendectomy that sidelined him the first couple weeks of practices, and last year, he was working through a calf injury going into the start of the season.
This summer there were no setbacks, and the hope is that translates into a faster start for the Bengals, who are 1-7 in the first two games the past four years with Burrow as quarterback.
“This is the best I’ve felt going into Week 1 since my rookie season,” Burrow said. “That’s exciting for me to be able to get these reps in training camp and I’m going to bank all of those and continue to get better throughout this time as opposed to just getting back to base line.”
Offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said this is the most comfortable Burrow has looked going into a season since he joined the Bengals as the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2020 out of LSU when Pitcher took over as quarterbacks coach.
That comfort level shows up in his “day-to-day demeanor,” Pitcher said.
“However many cumulative reps he’s had since he showed up here at the end of July, is way more than the previous, and especially at the quarterback position, that matters,” Pitcher said. “Getting yourself mentally having solved problems day in and day out, day in and day out.”
“That’s being a quarterback,” Pitcher said. “That’s all the things that fall on to his plate. I think he is excelling in that area right now. I think he’s taken another step from what I would have already considered to be a highly functioning player in that area. This camp has been fun to see him kind of take that next step.”
Burrow isn’t ready to say his wrist is 100 percent yet because he still expects some good and bad days, but he feels healthy and physically strong enough to be able to do what he needs to do. He also is confident it will continue to improve as the season progresses — just like with his knee.
Motivation is high, too, after watching the Bengals go 4-4 without him and miss the playoffs after back-to-back AFC North titles. With a cloud of uncertainty following him because of the wrist surgery, Burrow especially feels a need to prove himself this season.
Other players had come back from ACL tears before when he did it in 2021, but there aren’t many examples of quarterbacks that underwent the same wrist surgery, so there are still a lot of questions about how Burrow’s passing could be impacted long term. He did everything he could this offseason to make sure the ligament is strong, and his personal trainer, Dak Notestine, helped him add muscle throughout his body to put him in the best shape of his career.
Burrow said he’s ready to prove he’s still a top quarterback in this league.
“Whenever you’re coming back from injury you feel like you’ve got to come back and show that not only you can do what you did prior to the injury, but also that I’ve gotten better,” Burrow said. “I’m excited to go out and show the work that I’ve put in over the last eight months, and I know the other guys are, too. It’s been a long time coming, so we’re ready to go.”
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