FOXBOROUGH — Is there a chance that Joe Burrow could return way ahead of schedule against the Patriots this weekend?
It depends on when Bengals coach Zac Taylor was asked that question.
Burrow has been out with a turf toe injury suffered in Week 2 that was expected to sideline him for three months. Before Cincinnati’s practice on Wednesday, Taylor seemed to dismiss the idea of the quarterback returning against New England.
“Joe Burrow hasn’t practiced 11-on-11 yet,” Taylor said. “So like I said the other day, until we get through some practices there is no reason for me to even speculate on that.”
However, when Taylor filled out Wednesday’s injury report, Burrow was listed as a full participant. That means not only did the quarterback participate in 11-on-11 periods, but he took all of his normal reps.
For Burrow, all of his normal reps means all of the first-team reps. As the Ravens found out with Lamar Jackson last month, the NFL leaves no wiggle room with that. So Burrow was back running the offense on Wednesday.
Adding to the curiosity, Taylor said Joe Flacco wouldn’t practice Wednesday as he rested a right shoulder injury, but then the veteran journeyman was listed as a limited participant — which means he did practice.
On Sunday morning, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said Burrow had “eyes on a return for either Cincinnati’s Thanksgiving night game against the Baltimore Ravens or more likely the Bengals’ Dec. 7 game against the Buffalo Bills.”
However, Cincinnati lost again on Sunday, dropping to 3-7, and their playoff hopes are hanging by a thread. Perhaps that will force Burrow to try to accelerate his recovery even more.
On Friday afternoon, Cincinnati will have to provide a more specific Burrow status for Sunday’s game against the Patriots. For now, here’s Wednesday’s full injury report for both teams:
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
DID NOT PARTICIPATE
No Players Listed.
LIMITED PARTICIPATION
DT Christian Barmore – Not Injury Related / Other
LB K’Lavon Chaisson, Ankle
TE Austin Hooper, Concussion
LB Harold Landry, Knee
OT Morgan Moses, Not Injury Related / Rest
RB Rhamondre Stevenson, Toe
LB Jahlani Tavai, Not Injury Related / Personal
FULL PARTICIPATION
WR Kayshon Boutte, Hamstring
LB Christian Elliss, Hip
DL Joshua Farmer, Ankle
RB Terrell Jennings, Knee
CINCINNATI BENGALS
DID NOT PARTICIPATE
DE Trey Hendrickson, Hip/Pelvis
HB Samaje Perine, Knee
G Jalen Rivers, Knee / Ankle
DE Cam Sample, Oblique
CB Cam Taylor-Britt, Foot
LIMITED PARTICIPATION
QB Joe Flacco, Right Shoulder
DE Cedric Johnson, Ankle
FULL PARTICIPATION
Daijahn Anthony, Hamstring
QB Joe Burrow, Toe
WR Jermaine Burton, Illness
TE Mike Gesicki, Pectoral
DE Joseph Ossai, Ankle
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
