Bengals QB Joe Burrow participates in throwing session during offseason workouts

May 6 typically isn’t reserved for big football moments. That, however, was not the case for the Bengals on Monday.

Quarterback Joe Burrow cleared a checkpoint in his journey back from wrist surgery at the start of the work week, throwing passes during Bengals offseason workouts. Judging by the video posted by the Bengals’ social media team, everything appears to be going rather smoothly.

It’s a 6-second clip, sure, but it’s May, and it looks like Burrow isn’t holding back with the flick of his wrist. His teammates agreed.

“You like the amount of power he has on it,” second-year receiver Andrei Iosivas said afterward, via the team’s official site. “I feel like that’s what you’re really looking for. You like to see the velocity.”

Velocity, plus confidence to push the ball downfield are all very encouraging signs for a quarterback whose absence was felt throughout Cincinnati’s organization for much of the 2023 season.

If we learned anything about the Bengals in 2023, it’s that they were a healthy version of Burrow away from likely reaching the playoffs. Though Jake Browning gave it a valiant effort, even he could not keep Cincinnati from sinking in the final month of the season.

That is life in today’s NFL, in which every team’s hopes hinge on the health of their starting quarterbacks. Cleveland managed to make it to the postseason with an off-the-couch Joe Flacco, but in most emergency scenarios, once a team loses its quarterback, its aspirations fizzle.

If Burrow is healthy, Cincinnati will be taken seriously as a contender in both the AFC North and the conference. Monday’s footage is a good reason for Bengals fans to feel optimistic entering the summer.

“He didn’t miss a beat,” receiver Kwamie Lassiter said. “Whatever he did in the offseason worked.”