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Ben Bebe, ESPN writer
CINCINNATI — Joe Burrow wanted to play in Thursday’s preseason finale. But coach Zac Taylor said that after Burrow’s actions earlier in the week, Cincinnati’s star quarterback is no longer needed before Week 1.
Burrow and all of Cincinnati’s expected starters watched from the sidelines in the team’s 27-14 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Taylor said the way Burrow showed up in joint practice against the Indianapolis Colts on Tuesday was more than satisfactory.
“I thought this was the final nail in the coffin for training camp,” Taylor said Thursday. “This was the right way to do it.”
During Thursday night’s broadcast, Burrow indicated he wanted to be on the field. After handling the first drive in the preseason opener against Tampa Bay, he didn’t take any reps during the game before the final game against the Colts.
Taylor said Burrow’s availability for Thursday night was “on the table at times”, but the decision to keep him and other key players healthy outweighed any benefits from pre-match work.
As Burrow continues to recover from a season-ending wrist ligament injury, the Bengals have been able to handle his workload during offseason workouts and at times during training camp.
But Taylor said his accuracy, decision-making and completion rate made his combined drills against the Colts look like some of his best work in a year.
“I thought the Colts practice was one of his best practices this year, reminiscent of a lot of the games he played last year when he was healthy,” Taylor said.
Bengals quarterback Kwame Lassiter II said Burrow was getting in the pocket, had good speed on his passes and had excellent ball placement, including two passes to receiver Tee Higgins.
Lassiter said it was probably no coincidence that Burrow’s participation came against another team rather than against his teammates in a regular practice.
“He has a competitive nature,” Lassiter said Thursday night. “He wants to kill anybody in front of him, just like any athlete should. He’s been training well.”
Boro was not due to speak to reporters after the game, but made one comment as he entered the dressing room: “See you in a few weeks.”
