As Joe Burrow headed out to the second practice of his rehab Wednesday, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said he couldn't tell his Pro Bowl quarterback is coming back from turf toe or any other kind of injury.
"Not from a throwing perspective Taylor said of the work on Monday. "Really sharp, really sharp. I had not watched him throw. He'd been doing that with the trainers, so seeing him live on Monday, I got a chance to do that. I'm not going to say I'm impressed because that's how it always looks. But he was really sharp."
Taylor reiterated Burrow wasn't in the team work and didn't have to move. He said they'll get through this week before deciding if the next phase of the plan is a go.
"Threw the ball nice. And so for now, that's just where we're at," Taylor said. "Internally, we've got a good plan in place. We'll just keep working through that."
Guard Duty
As the Steelers loom Sunday (1 p.m.-Cincinnati's Local 12) in Pittsburgh, Taylor says he needs his two rookie guards "to keep trending up." Right guard Jalen Rivers and left guard Dylan Fairchild, who didn't play last month in the win over the Steelers, keep playing well enough to keep playing and, as Taylor knows, there's nothing like a Dave-Lapham-AFC-North-slobber-knocker.
"The two young guards are ascending and learning a lot really fast," Taylor said. "This is a huge challenge for them. This game, in a lot of ways, goes as they go. The front Pittsburgh has presents a challenge every game you watch. A lot of times it comes down to the trenches in this one. Especially on the road. The silent cadence and the advantages that creates for (the Steelers)."
After giving up 470 yards in their 33-31 loss to the Bengals last month, the Steelers have slowly been more stingy. They gave up 458 in a loss to the Packers, 368 in a win over the Colts, and just 314 in Sunday night's loss to the Chargers.
Slants and Screens
Burrow got to throw Wednesday while Joe Flacco (shoulder) didn't. Taylor said they're sticking with the plan from two weeks ago, when Flacco threw only on Thursday before passing for a career-best 470 yards against the Bears. So Jake Browning got the first-team reps …
Taylor indicated NFL sack champion Trey Hendrickson (hip) won't practice Wednesday and remains doubtful for Sunday's game …
Same with rookie defensive end Shemar Stewart (knee) …
There was better news on tight end Mike Gesicki (shoulder), heading into his last week on injured reserve.
"Things have come along nicely," Taylor said. "We'll assess where he is at the end of this week … I don't want to make a prediction on where it lands, but his progress has been really good …
