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Bengals reportedly believe injured QB Joe Burrow will be ready for Week 1

Liz Roscher
Staff writer
·3 min read
21

The Cincinnati Bengals have been without their star QB Joe Burrow for a few weeks now as he recovers from a calf injury. But after the Bengals lost their first 2023 preseason game to the Green Bay Packers on Friday night, fans might be wondering: when will Burrow make his triumphant return?

We don't have an exact date yet, but we have a reported time frame: before Week 1.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler gave an update on Burrow on SportsCenter on Saturday morning, and the Bengals reportedly believe he'll be 100% ready to go by Week 1.

"People I've talked to do believe that for Week 1, he'll be ready to go. That it would be hard for him to pass that up, that he's trying to prepare himself to play, but Zac Taylor has said it's probably going to be another several weeks," Fowler said via Bleacher Report. "They're taking this really slowly. It would be at least a mild surprise if he played in some of the preseason action, but we'll see if it shakes out or if that calf perks up. It's a calf strain, it's something that he can manage and he's slowly working his way back. Signs are pointing in the right direction. There's no major setback that I'm aware of."

Burrow sustained a calf strain July 27 during a training camp practice. He was running during a play, then suddenly started hopping on his left leg and sat down on the grass. He was eventually carted off as a precaution.

Head coach Zac Taylor didn't share much info at the time, only saying that Burrow had suffered a calf injury and would be out "several weeks."

We haven't gotten much more from Taylor since then, though he did give an eight-word update on Burrow following the Bengals 36-19 preseason loss to the Green Bay Packers on Friday night.

“He’s progressing as he should. Everything's been positive,” Taylor said.

Ah yes, the vague and unhelpful football coach answer, a classic of the genre. The NFL season is truly almost here.

Since Taylor isn't any help, let's check the tapes and see how Burrow actually looks. He was on the field before the game against Green Bay and did some running and throwing.

He's running and throwing normally, just as a QB should. That's good news, even if Taylor won't discuss it or even confirm that Burrow still has legs.

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