Burrow feeling 'really good' after tough recovery

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow said he feels close to his usual self after a long road back from season-ending wrist surgery.

"This was a difficult injury," Burrow said Tuesday, according to Olivia Ray of WLWT. "It's been a tough couple of months. Physically, it's not the worst injury I've ever had. Physically, conditionally, I feel really good."

The star passer returned to practice Monday for the first time since tearing a wrist ligament in his throwing hand in Week 11.

Burrow said he resumed throwing in April but opted not to go into detail about exactly how much pain he's dealing with on the field.

"I'll keep that to myself," Burrow said. "Like any injury, there are days you deal with pain."

He added, "The wrist has good days and bad days, just like the knee … If I feel good, I'm gonna go."

The Bengals went 9-8 and missed the playoffs without their franchise player.

Burrow played through a calf injury last season before tearing the wrist ligament, and his production regressed after two standout campaigns. He finished with 15 touchdowns after throwing a combined 69 in 2021-22 and produced a career-low 6.3 yards per attempt.

The 27-year-old said he's optimistic about Cincinnati bouncing back in 2024 after several major moves, most notably retaining receiver Tee Higgins with the franchise tag and swapping out running back Joe Mixon for Zack Moss.

"I feel good about all the guys we brought in, offense and defense," Burrow said. "We brought in the right kind of guys. Good players. Guys that we've played against in the past, that we've had experience with, that we know what they have out there."