This preseason will be a lot more interesting.
The slow starts the Cincinnati Bengals have had during the Zac Taylor and Joe Burrow era have been notable. Especially after the team started 0-3 last season. Taylor hopes he has found a solution as he plans to play his star quarterback in the preseason.
Zac Taylor said Burrow will play in the preseason more than he ever has.
— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) July 23, 2025
Burrow hasn’t always even been available for preseason. He recovered from an ACL injury going into the 2021 season, had is appendix removed before the 2022 season, had an ankle injury 2023 and last season was recovering from his wrist injury.
This year Burrow is currently healthy as training camp starts, and we hope it stays that way as some preseason reps could help the team out early in the season.
The plan of holding starters out of the preseason isn’t unique to the Bengals, though. Plenty of teams would rather not risk their star players in games that do not matter. However, the slow starts are hard to ignore and maybe mixing this up will lead to a faster start for Cincinnati.