Joe Burrow is off limits.
Everyone in Cincinnati knows that.
But in the heat of Bengals practice, that rule isn't always followed perfectly. On Wednesday, the franchise quarterback found himself in a bit of a collision with first-round rookie Shemar Stewart.
Pro Football Talk described the incident like this:
"Stewart rushed off the left side of the defense during one drill and bumped into Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow after stumbling. Burrow went down and right guard Lucas Patrick responded by getting into a scuffle with the rookie."
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After practice, Patrick spoke to reporters about what happened, saying, “Gotta protect No. 9, starts with me up front. I gotta play better and protect better, but you can’t let No. 9 get hit.”
It's not only Burrow, of course, who isn't supposed to be hit. QBs get the red jerseys at training camp for a reason.
Teams can't afford their own defense injuring the guy playing the most important position in sports.
Burrow has dealt with a handful of different injuries through the years, as well, which makes it extra key.
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Stewart was in the headlines for this offseason as he was the last first-round pick to sign his contract.
Eventually he did, but now he's gotta watch where he's going.
“Just be smarter," center Ted Karras said of the message to Stewart. "Great player, [but] that’s all of our hopes and dreams right there. We’ve got to do better too, that’s on us.”
The Bengals' most important order of business will be preventing Burrow from getting hit hard by opposing teams. If they can do that, they'll have a chance to win a lot of games.
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