The Cincinnati Bengals suffered a major injury scare during practice this offseason. Early on in training camp, Joe Burrow injured his calf, which left him sidelined for about six weeks. He was able to get back on the practice field last week, which was a step in the right direction.

In the portion of practice that was open to the media, Joe Burrow was taking part in all of the drills with quarterbacks coach Dan Pitcher and backups Jake Browning and Will Grier. It was something that everyone was excited to see.

“It felt good, just to see him out there, see the big smile on his face,” Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins said after practice.

While that was certainly a positive development, there are still some doubts about whether or not Joe Burrow will be on the field in Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns. Head coach Zac Taylor has not committed to his star being under center this weekend.

The team is taking things day by day, but Taylor did mention that Joe Burrow had another good day of practice. The team has been encouraged by the progress that he has made since returning to the field last week.

This could be some posturing on the part of the Bengals. Looking to create any edge that they can, Cincinnati could be trying to play some mind games with their AFC North rivals, keeping them on their toes about what could come Sunday.

Teams don’t have to release an injury report until Wednesday, marking the earliest any news will be shared. However, there is certainly a chance that Taylor genuinely doesn’t know what Joe Burrow’s status will be on Sunday afternoon.

Not even at practice for a week yet, Joe Burrow likely has a few hurdles to get over before receiving clearance to play in games. The Bengals certainly hope that occurs before Sunday, as going into a divisional matchup in Week 1 without their star quarterback is less than ideal.