The 2025 season has gone about as poorly as possible for the Cincinnati Bengals. Through 10 games, they sit at 3-7, and they have been without superstar quarterback Joe Burrow since he suffered a toe injury in the Bengals’ Week 2 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
However, things might be turning in their favor, as the team recently announced some promising news about Burrow’s injury status.
Bengals Share Encouraging Update on Joe Burrow’s Status
When Burrow is on the field, he is unquestionably one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. However, he has not been on the field much this season after suffering a turf toe injury in Week 2 that required surgery.
The original expectation was that Burrow might return in late December or early January. However, on Tuesday, it was reported that the superstar quarterback is ahead of schedule in his recovery and is eyeing a return on Thanksgiving.
While that is encouraging news, Bengals fans received an even more promising update on Wednesday when ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the team listed Burrow as a full participant in practice.
Schefter was not the only one to report that Burrow would be a full participant in Cincinnati’s Wednesday practice. James Rapien, a Bengals beat writer, filmed the quarterback stretching and even running on the field.
Want to see Joe Burrow running? Here’s Joe Burrow running.
Burrow will participate in 11-on-11 drills today for the first time since undergoing toe surgery in September. pic.twitter.com/Hb9Y08QUIC
— James Rapien (@JamesRapien) November 19, 2025
While it is excellent news that Burrow is practicing and appears able to move comfortably on his injured toe, it still seems unlikely that he will play in Cincinnati’s Week 12 matchup against the New England Patriots. Still, the projected Thanksgiving return against the Baltimore Ravens remains realistic given that he is on the field this week.
Without Burrow under center this season, the Bengals offense has struggled, currently ranking 21st in the NFL according to PFSN’s OFFi metric. His return would not only elevate Cincinnati’s offense but also inject the entire organization with energy and optimism about the remainder of the year.
In 2024, Burrow was an MVP candidate and finished the season ninth among all NFL quarterbacks in PFSN’s QBi metric. Few teams have a player of that caliber leading their offense, and despite Cincinnati’s rough start, it’s not unreasonable to believe Burrow could spark a late playoff push for the Bengals.
Injuries have been an issue for Burrow throughout his career, and it may not seem wise to rush him back given the Bengals’ 3-7 record. However, if he’s healthy, no one is going to stop him from getting back on the field in 2025, and with him practicing on Wednesday, his return appears to be imminent.
