While Cincinnati Bengals franchise quarterback Joe Burrow is away from team practice there were some grumblings that Burrow’s absence may be related to a snap in contract negotiations but the team is saying that is not the case.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor discussed Burrow during a virtual news conference on Tuesday, saying that the signal caller’s absence is not related to the inability between his side and the Bengals to reach a contract extension, according to ESPN’s Ben Baby.
Burrow has not participated in team practice since he suffered a strained right calf on the second day of preseason workouts, and Taylor did not seem too concerned regarding Burrow’s status ahead of the regular season kickoff.
“I think he has a very healthy body,” Taylor said. “And I’m encouraged by that.”
While the Bengals and Burrow continue negotiations, it is expected that the two sides will keep things under wraps and out of the view of NFL journalists to avoid the situation becoming a distraction.
As Burrow continues to recover, the Bengals have been testing both Jake Browning and Trevor Siemian for the backup quarterback job, which ultimately was awarded to Browning and resulted i the release of Siemian.
Taylor indicated that the team will continue to explore options for the 3rd string quarterback position.
