Report: Joe Burrow diagnosed with strained calf
After a few moments of heart-in-throat horror as Joe Burrow sat on the practice field turf and waited to be carted off during Cincinnati Bengals training camp on Thursday, it was good news from the team. Burrow merely has a calf strain and didn’t suffer a catastrophic injury, ESPN’s Dianna Russini confirmed.
Shortly after Burrow came up gimpy during a play and wouldn’t put weight on his right leg, the worst was assumed. However, the quick diagnoses was a strained calf and not something more serious, like a rupture Achilles tendon.
After practice, head coach Zac Taylor shared that they suspected it was a muscle strain and not more serious damage.
A timeline for Burrow’s return is unclear, but he is likely going to be sidelined for the remainder of training camp and the preseason.
Regardless, though, dodging a season-ending injury makes a few preseason and perhaps a couple regular season games missed pale in comparison.
Ja’Marr Chase said Burrow is ‘all right’ following the scary scene
Ja’Marr Chase has a positive outlook on Burrow’s injury. The wide receiver commented on the situation after the quarterback went down during training camp.
Burrow suffered an apparent leg injury and had to be carted off the practice field on Thursday. Head coach Zac Taylor believes it’s a calf injury, but wouldn’t go into further detail.
“We always give each other that nod,” Chase said. “He gave me a nod to say he’s all right. He’s a strong dude. I wasn’t really worried. I believe he’s all right.”
A former NFL doctor weighed in on Burrow’s injury
After Burrow suffered an injury during training camp on Thursday, former NFL doctor David J. Chao provided an optimistic diagnosis.
“By distanced video, appears to be right calf muscle strain. Doesn’t appear to be Achilles. This is the non ACL side. Could miss significant training camp time and gastroc strains do linger,” Chao wrote on Twitter.
The injury occurred during a non-contact play when Burrow scrambled behind the line. Taylor’s comments after the incident coincided with much of Chao’s evaluation. According to Cincinnati Enquirer reporter Kelsey Conway, Taylor stated Burrow’s injury seemed to be a calf-related issue.
It isn’t the first time the LSU product has struggled with injuries. In his rookie year, Burrow suffered a season-ending left ACL tear. Nonetheless, Burrow has been excellent since, competing in 16 games each of the past two seasons.