Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow could miss ‘several weeks’ with calf strain

Cincinnati Bengals coach Zac Taylor said Friday that he expects star quarterback Joe Burrow to be sidelined “several weeks” due to a calf strain.

Burrow was carted off the practice field after he came up hobbling from a scramble on Thursday.

The 26-year-old franchise quarterback hobbled on one leg and then went to the ground after the play near the end of the afternoon practice.

The Bengals open their regular season on 10 September against the Browns in Cleveland. Asked to confirm whether Burrow will be available by then, Taylor said: “Several weeks is several weeks.”

If Burrow is not fit for the opener, Cincinnati’s current back-ups at the position are Trevor Siemian and Jake Browning. Both took snaps during Friday’s practice.

Burrow is still negotiating with the Bengals on a long-term contract that could make him one of the NFL’s highest-paid players.

He had talked Wednesday about how good he felt at the opening of camp after his first three NFL training camps were disrupted and how he hoped to play in some preseason games.

Preseason practice was truncated in Burrow’s rookie year in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. In 2021, he was still rehabbing after knee surgery the previous December. On the first day of camp last year, he was stricken with appendicitis.

Taylor said that he’s not concerned about Burrow’s injury compromising the quarterback’s ability to step right in when he’s ready.

“Joe got more days this July than he’s ever had in the NFL,” Taylor said. “I feel really good about his progress.”