Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow wants to improve his mental preparation.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is revealing he wants to take a solid hit this preseason from an opposing player. Burrow thinks it will help his preparation for the upcoming season.

“It would probably help me mentally more than anything,” Burrow said, per ESPN. “Just understanding falling can hurt. Just get that thing hit one time before you’re out there in a real game.”

The Bengals quarterback is recovering from a wrist injury that cut short his 2023 season. Burrow played in a limited role in the team’s NFL preseason loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday. Burrow didn’t take a hit on the team’s opening drive, which was his only action in the game.

Burrow hasn’t played in NFL preseason action since 2021, per ESPN. The quarterback finished 5-for-7 passing for 51 yards and a touchdown against Tampa. Burrow connected with scoring threat Tee Higgins on the touchdown play.

“It was nice to get back out there, be out there with the guys,” Burrow added.

The Bengals need a big season from Joe Burrow

The Bengals didn’t meet expectations in 2023, especially after Burrow went down. The team missed the AFC Playoffs. The squad was the only team in the AFC North that didn’t make the postseason. Cincinnati posted a 9-8 record, but finished last in the division.

Bengals fans and management expect much better than that. The team made the Super Bowl in the 2021 season, and also earned a postseason bid in 2022. The team did that due in part to Burrow, who is one of the most accomplished quarterbacks in the league. In his career, the quarterback has thrown for 14,083 yards and 97 touchdowns.

Burrow threw for more than 4,000 yards in the 2021 and the 2022 seasons, when the team made the playoffs. In 2023, he finished his shortened season with just 2,309 passing yards. Bengals fans hope the quarterback can recapture his magic this coming season.

Bengals coach Zac Taylor seemed impressed with what he saw from his play caller, in Burrow’s return to the field Saturday. The quarterback led the team 73 yards down the field in his only drive.

“I thought he was in control and saw the defense really well,” Taylor said, per the Associated Press. “I thought he handled it really well, and those guys made plays for him.”

The Bengals play their next preseason game on August 17 against the Chicago Bears. Time will tell if Burrow’s wish comes true, before the regular season begins in September.