Joe Burrow talks Jessie Bates’ return to Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals got a big piece of their defense back on Tuesday when Jessie Bates returned to the team. Bates has now signed his franchise tag tender, which will guarantee him $12.91 million this season.

On Wednesday, Joe Burrow spoke with the media ahead of the Bengals’ joint practice with the Los Angeles Rams, where he was asked about the return of Bates. Unsurprisingly, Burrow and the entire locker room was happy to see the star return.

“Everyone’s very excited. You felt the energy in the locker room when he came back,” Burrow said. “It was a nice jolt. It’s always good to see him. Everyone loves Jessie (Bates).”

Bates now joins Chidobe Awuzie, Vonn Bell, Eli Apple, Mike Hilton, and rookie Dax Hill in the secondary this season.

“Our defense is going to be really, really good,” Burrow added. “We know the kinda guys that we have over there. We know the kinda guys we have on our team. We’re gonna be really, really good.”

Bates will not be participating in team drills during the two joint practices against the Rams this week, but he will be doing individual work on the sidelines.

The Bengals will kick off their 2022-23 season at home on Sunday, September 11^th against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Below, you can check out Burrow’s full presser from today.

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