Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow‘s return from his appendectomy took another step forward on Wednesday.
Burrow did 11-on-11 work for the first time this summer and said that he’s been feeling better every time he adds things to his plate at practice. He noted that he lost “some muscle and some strength” in his core because of the surgery along with weight that he’s trying to put back on now that he’s feeling healthy.
“I was feeling the best I had coming out of the offseason training. Now I have to get back to that,” Burrow said, via the team’s website. “Have to go back to the high school days when you’re trying to gain 20 pounds in a couple of week span. So we’re forcing it down as much as we can. Throughout offseason training you’re working on building your body up and getting more athletic- stronger, bigger, faster. So then when you get to camp you don’t have to worry about all that stuff, you can focus on football, but when you have that surgery and lose your strength you’ve got to put that at the forefront again to build yourself back up.”
Burrow does not plan for preseason action to be part of his preparation for the regular season. The Bengals play the Giants on Sunday and the Rams on August 27, but Burrow should get some team work during joint practices with their Super Bowl LVI opponents next week.