Bengals QB Joe Burrow's calf injury could land him on injured reserve
The Cincinnati Bengals (0-2) could place star quarterback Joe Burrow on injured reserve as a result of his calf injury.
“He could wind up on short-term injured reserve due to re-tweaking his calf,” Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reported Sunday. “The Bengals have him questionable tomorrow night against the Rams, but they looked into the free agent quarterbacks last week and they wound up signing familiar face A.J. McCarron to the practice squad on Saturday. If Burrow goes on IR, he’ll miss the next four games and he’ll return [in Week 8] versus the 49ers.”
Burrow, who suffered a calf strain during training camp, said he “tweaked” something in the 27-24 Week 2 defeat to the Baltimore Ravens (2-0). He completed 27-of-41 passes for 222 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in Sunday’s loss. Cincinnati also suffered a 24-3 defeat to the Cleveland Browns (1-1) in Week 1.
“I’m not sure how it’s going to feel the next couple days,” Burrow said of his calf after the game. “It’s pretty sore right now. No telling how it’s going to feel. So, I think we’re going to take it day by day.”
The 26-year-old didn’t practice Thursday, with head coach Zac Taylor calling him “day-to-day.” He did, however, practice in limited fashion Friday.
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“We’ll see,” Taylor said. “It’s really day-to-day. We’ll have conversations and see where it goes.”
Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase said Friday he doesn’t want quarterback Burrow to play until he’s fully recovered from his calf injury. Chase added he doesn’t believe Burrow was 100% in Weeks 1 or 2, and if he had to guess, won’t suit up in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams (1-1) Monday night, per Jay Morrison of Pro Football Network.
Jake Browning in line for first-career start in place of Joe Burrow
Should Burrow be unfit to play Monday, fifth-year quarterback Jake Browning would get the first start of his NFL career. Browning, the former Washington standout, has attempted just one pass in the NFL — an incompletion in Week 1 against Cleveland.
With Burrow sidelined for the majority of training camp with the calf injury, Browning had the opportunity to establish a rapport with Cincinnati’s first-team offense. Receiver Tee Higgins went as far to call Browning a “baller.”
“He made good reads. He’s a baller,” Higgins said earlier this week, via the team’s website. “A guy that goes out there and does his job well. He’s got way more confidence with the offense and he was being a vocal leader as he should be. He’s definitely built some confidence [with the receivers].