Earlier Monday, the Bengals officially designated Burrow for a potential return from injured reserve, opening a 21-day window for him to practice with the team while not occupying a 53-man roster spot.
Burrow underwent surgery Sept. 19 to repair a severe turf toe injury that he suffered in the second quarter of a 31-27 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, and initial reports predicted he would be out for at least three months. He’s only approaching the two-month point, but Bengals coach Zac Taylor said this was always the timeline they were targeting.
The sixth-year quarterback won’t be playing just yet, though, and Burrow said the decision about if and when he returns comes down to “a lot of variables.”
“We’ll see how the next couple weeks feel, to see how it feels, and we’ll make a decision,” Burrow said. “There’s a lot of variables that are going to go into this, and the No. 1 is how it’s feeling and my health. So, we’ll just take it day by day like we have been throughout the rehab process.”
Asked specifically if the team’s record is a chief factor, Burrow didn’t rule that out, but said he will see how the next couple weeks go, how the toe feels and “make a good decision when the time comes.” The biggest test will be cutting and “twitchy short stops.”
The Bengals are heading to Pittsburgh on Sunday playing an AFC North-leading Steelers team coming off a loss against the Chargers, which dropped them to 5-4.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Cincinnati beat Pittsburgh at home in Week 7 for Joe Flacco’s first win, in his second start since he was acquired in a trade to replace Jake Browning, but the Bengals suffered back-to-back losses in disappointing fashion and went into their bye last week at 3-6.
Somehow, the AFC North is still wide open and a title within grasp if Cincinnati can beat the Steelers for a second time in four weeks. From there, the Bengals host the New England Patriots on Nov. 23 and travel to Baltimore for a Thanksgiving night game Nov. 27.
Burrow had long ago said he was excited for a Thanksgiving game on the schedule this year and said Monday it would be “very” significant if he could be back for that one. He smirked when asked if that was a goal but kept with the “we’ll see” line.
If the Bengals are still in the hunt for a division title after this week, holding Burrow back might be a challenge. That game in Baltimore would be a big one.
“Our division is wide open,” Burrow said. “There’s a lot of − I think Pittsburgh’s 5-4 at this point. We play them this week. Everything is still there in front of us. Very rare that our division looks like this, but it does this year, and, so, I think we’ll be at least in it until the end.”
“I think it’d be very difficult for us to be a wild card team at this point,” he added. “Obviously, a lot of football to be played, but I think that’s difficult. I think our best path would be winning the division.”
Burrow said it was difficult not being able to play the past two months, and the toe injury was especially frustrating because of how good he felt going into the season, a full season removed from his December 2023 wrist surgery.
The offense had still gotten off to a slow start, but Cincinnati managed to win its first two games, and the defense was giving the team chances to stay in it even while Browning struggled. Lately, that’s been flipped with Flacco running the offense, and the defense not getting stops.
Burrow handled it the best way he knew how, by attacking his rehab and weight room to try to get back as quickly as possible. It was his third surgery in six NFL seasons, and Burrow said this one was a little easier than the others, though it didn’t feel that way at the time the injury happened.
“I knew it wasn’t great when it happened,” Burrow said. “I typically have a good feel for those when it’s going to be fine and when it’s not. Obviously, was incredibly sad, disappointed, frustrated, angry — all the above. You let yourself feel sorry for yourself a little bit. It’s easy when a couple of days leading up to surgery and the couple weeks after when you can’t do much. And then it’s time to get back at it.”
Burrow has been running for a while, he said, and was able to get back to activity fairly quickly after his surgery, compared to his past injuries. Burrow was scheduled just to throw some routes on air with the receivers Monday, then start progressing from there.
Taylor said he won’t be doing 11-on-11 work just yet, and he’s “truly week-to-week.”
Running back Chase Brown said it was good seeing Burrow back in practice and “looking as good as he did” Monday, and left tackle Orlando Brown noted the “positive energy he brings to the locker room.”
Taylor was hoping Burrow’s return would be a jolt for a team in need of something positive.
“Again, he’s one of the best players in the world, and so anytime that player comes back, and players have seen how hard he’s been working behind the scenes, you know, with the trainers and strength coaches and all that kind of stuff,” Taylor said. “So I think it’s exciting when you see a guy who’s put so much into coming back, you know, seemingly on the front end of a difficult injury. You look at different timelines, and he’s done everything he can to get himself back on the field. And so now this is the next stage of this progression.”
Now the Bengals just need to give Burrow a reason to come back and play.
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