Bengals make surprising decision on Joe Burrow's preseason status after QB gets fully cleared for contact

If the Cincinnati Bengals want to have any chance of winning the Super Bowl this year, they're going to need a fully healthy Joe Burrow , and right now, that's exactly what they have.

During an interview with local media on Monday, Bengals coach Zac Taylor revealed that Burrow has been fully cleared for contact ahead of training camp. The Bengals will be kicking off camp this week with Burrow and the rest of the team's veterans scheduled to report on Tuesday.

When Burrow has been healthy, the Bengals have been nearly unbeatable, but the team's star quarterback has had some trouble staying healthy during his career. Last season, Burrow played in just 10 games before suffering a wrist injury in Week 11 that caused him to miss the rest of the year.

The Bengals quarterback underwent surgery in late November and he was able to return to practice to throw the ball around during OTAs in May. With Burrow now fully cleared, that means he'll be able to participate in whatever the Bengals have planned for him during training camp.

During his interview on Monday, Taylor also revealed one minor surprise regarding Burrow: The Bengals coach said that he plans on giving his star quarterback some playing time during the preseason.

Burrow has been with the team since 2020 and during those four seasons, the 27-year-old has played just three total snaps during the preseason, but that's mostly due to bad luck.

Here's a quick look at why Burrow hasn't really played in the preseason during his NFL career:

2020: All preseason games were canceled due to COVID
2021: Burrow was returning from an ACL tear and played just three snaps.
2022: Burrow underwent an appendectomy in late July after his appendix ruptured. Due to the medical issue, Burrow was forced to miss the preseason.
2023: Burrow strained his calf during the second practice of training camp and missed the entire preseason.

Based on his injury history, there's definitely a risk that comes with Burrow playing in the preseason and Bengals fans will likely be holding their breath any time he's on the field during a preseason game . The Bengals will open their preseason at home against the Buccaneers on Aug. 10 before traveling to Chicago for a game on Aug. 17. Cincinnati will then close out its preseason with a home game against the Colts on Aug. 22.