Ben Johnson Has High Praise for Bengals QB Joe Burrow

In practice, the Chicago Bears took the field in Cincinnati for a joint practice session with the Bengals on Thursday, preparing for Saturday's preseason matchup.

Key points

• Burrow missed half of the 2025 season due to a Grade 3 turf toe injury he suffered in Week 2.
• Johnson delivered some high praise of Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow after Thursday's joint practice session.
• Saturday's preseason matchup between the Bears and Bengals will kickoff at 7 p.m.
• Bears head coach Ben Johnson has been particularly vocal concerning his desire to put up historic offensive numbers this coming season.
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By Matt Audilet Contributing Sports Writer. Newsweek is a Trust Project member.

Bears head coach Ben Johnson has been particularly vocal concerning his desire to put up historic offensive numbers this coming season. And as an offensive-minded coach, he recognizes elite talent when he sees it.

"He's like a surgeon back there with great pocket awareness who can dissect defenses in a hurry, recognize coverages, distribute the ball, and trust his guys on the perimeter, they've probably got the best receiving duo in the business, " Johnson remarked to journalists, via BearsMuse. "This is a great test for where our defense is coverage-wise, but talking to J.T. Barrett, who was teammates with Joe at Ohio State, he speaks particularly highly of who Joe is as a person as well."

Burrow missed half of the 2025 season due to a Grade 3 turf toe injury he suffered in Week 2. Through eight regular-season game appearances, he completed 66.8% of his pass attempts for 1, 809 yards, 17 touchdowns and five interceptions.

Saturday's preseason matchup between the Bears and Bengals will kickoff at 7 p.m. ET.

In short, ben Johnson Has High Praise for Bengals QB Joe Burrow is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.