Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow sent the NFL news cycle into a frenzy on Sept. 17 when he was a limited participant in practice.
The number of serious injuries he’s endured early in his career is the reason why ears will always perk up when there’s any talk of a potential health issue.
He’s missed 25 games in his professional career due to significant injuries that required surgery on his knee, toe and wrist. Injuries are very much part of Burrow’s NFL story so far.
Burrow told reporters in Cincinnati that he’s dealing with back tightness but expects to play against the Houston Texans on Sept. 20 at Reliant Stadium.
After a day that consisted mostly of “mental reps” during practice on Sept. 16, Burrow’s workload was increased one day later.
Burrow took part in team stretch and was seen throwing passes as he typically does during the portion of practice that’s open to the media on Sept. 17. He did neither of those things on Sept. 16 and was listed as a limited participant in practice on the team’s official report.
Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins said Burrow did a lot more in practice Thursday. Higgins said Burrow “looked good” and said the team is looking to stack days of strong preparation ahead of the Week 2 matchup against the Texans (0-1).
Typically for the Bengals, the second practice of the week is when most action occurs. It’s why Burrow being able to participate at a higher level on Sept. 17 is noteworthy. Prior to practice, Burrow was seen doing his normal quarterback-center exchange work with Ted Karras.
Following practice, Karras spoke of how his quarterback looked during the two-hour session.
“Great,” Karras said. “We had a great Thursday practice. We’re (back to) normal programming. We need to go win in Houston at noon; it’s a big week.”
For the Bengals to beat the Texans on the road, Burrow and the rest of Cincinnati’s offense will need to play well. Houston owned the NFL’s best defense in 2025 (17.4 points per game), and most of the unit returned for the 2026 season.
The Bills showed Houston’s defense is capable of giving up 30-plus points, though. Buffalo beat Houston 36-31 in Week 1. The Bengals are hoping to start the season 2-0 for a second consecutive year under head coach Zac Taylor.
“It would me a lot, that’s what we’re looking forward to doing,” Higgins said.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Tee Higgins says Joe Burrow 'looked good' in practice ahead of Week 2
