What was a routine practice on Monday before a preseason finale for the Cincinnati Bengals created a wild stir on social media due to one little development.
Joe Burrow wore a glove.
The image of Burrow wearing a glove at times during practice in pretty good weather sent social media into a tizzy of speculation.
Some fans and others wondered if it was a sign of something wrong with the star quarterback’s wrist, which suffered the season-ending injury last year.
Others pointed out that perhaps it was a feeling-out thing for Burrow after last week’s rainy joint practices with the Bears produced a few interceptions.
ESPN’s Ben Baby, for example, pointed out the presence of the glove, then later got a follow-up on it:
Got some clarification on this after practice and Burrow wore the glove today because it helps with moisture and grip on days like today. Something he typically does in cold weather on the sidelines during the season.
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) August 19, 2024
Dan Hoard had something similar:
Five observations from Day 16 of #Bengals training camp:
1. Joe Burrow wore a glove at times today. I thought he might be experimenting after the rainy practice in Chicago, but he didn’t throw with it on. He told me that he sometimes puts it on between drills on windy, dry days pic.twitter.com/hUHjLk5qvW— Dan Hoard (@Dan_Hoard) August 19, 2024
Burrow has routinely done this in varied weather conditions over the years and even between reps during colder practices. But this practice was nearly 80 degrees, so who knows?
As fans will remember, the team didn’t make a bunch of noise about sudden compression sleeves on Burrow’s calf or throwing arm last year, either — and they certainly remember what events unfolded around those areas.
Even so, there’s just not enough information to work with right now. For all we’ll come to find out later, he was merely testing out a new brand of glove to see how he likes it, should the need arise in the rain during a regular season game.
Until something more concrete comes out, Burrow glove watch is suddenly a thing.
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