It remains to be seen how Joe Burrow’s aggravated calf injury will affect his availability going forward.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor on Monday did not have a firm update on Burrow’s calf, but when asked if the quarterback’s availability for Week 3 is up in the air, Taylor’s response could cause some concern for Cincinnati.
“Yeah, it’s hard for me to say right now,” Taylor answered.
Asked what he’d like to see from Burrow in practice this week in order to feel good about him playing, Taylor’s response largely remained the same.
“That’s hard to say right now,” Taylor said. “He did it really one of the last three plays of the game, probably. So, just sore. We haven’t done anything on the field yet.”
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Burrow aggravated his calf injury on the play before Cincinnati’s final touchdown in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 27-24 defeat to the Baltimore Ravens. He was noticeably limping afterward but did not miss any time due in part to Baltimore not allowing the Bengals to get the ball back. Taylor said after the game Burrow would’ve been put back in the game had the opportunity presented itself.
Burrow initially strained his calf on July 27 and missed the duration of the preseason and the majority of training camp.
Taylor said he “felt really good” about Burrow’s calf before he aggravated the injury on Sunday.
“I thought he had a great week of practice last week,” Taylor said on Monday. “Only he’s the one that can answer on how he truly feels, but you’d gotten the sense that it was really good.”
Burrow will have an extra day to recover as the Bengals are set for a home game against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football on Sept. 25. But Burrow aggravating a soft-tissue injury that has the propensity to linger doesn’t bode well for a Bengals team that is looking to stop the bleeding of an 0-2 start to the season.
Is there a world in which Taylor would consider sitting Burrow down for a week or two?
“I think, first of all, we’ve gotta hear what the doctors have to say before we start to assume anything,” Taylor said. “So once we have that information, we’ll figure out what we have to do.”
Burrow’s slow start to the season has certainly played a part in Cincinnati’s stumble out of the gate; the QB has completed just 56.9% of his passes for 304 yards, two TDs and an interception. While the Bengals aren’t unfamiliar to 0-2 starts dating back to last season, Burrow’s availability wasn’t ever a question as Cincy roared back to win the AFC North and reach the AFC Championship Game.
Jake Browning would be the next man up on the QB depth chart if Burrow was unable to play next week.
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