Joe Burrow Injury Update: What’s the Next Positive Step in Bengals QB’s Recovery?

The next step to look for in Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow’s recovery from the calf strain that forced him to miss 15 of 17 training camp practices will be to see whether he is on the sideline Saturday night in Washington.

Burrow isn’t going to play, of course. None of the starters are. But it is worth noting that last week, when the Bengals traveled to Atlanta for their second preseason game, they left behind all injured players except one.

Why Would Seeing Joe Burrow in Washington Be Meaningful?

Head coach Zac Taylor said cornerback Chidobe Awuzie traveled to the Falcons game because he was so close to returning from the ACL injury he suffered on Halloween.

And sure enough, in the first practice after the Bengals tied the Falcons 13-13, Awuzie took his first snaps in 7-on-7 work. The next day, he took his first reps in 11-on-11 drills. And his workload continued to grow from there.

The first positive sign of Burrow making progress toward being ready for Week 1 in Cleveland on Sept. 10 came earlier this week when Taylor pivoted from his standard “several weeks from when I first said several weeks” response whenever asked about Burrow to say this:

“He looks great. I mean physically, just walking around, he looks probably as good as he’s ever looked at this point. So that’s a positive.”

Burrow did a pregame workout in Cincinnati ahead of the team’s first preseason game on Aug. 11. Taylor is big on having players go through the routine of getting ready for a game, even when they aren’t playing, which is why so many of the offensive starters dressed last week even with no intention of playing.

Having Burrow go through an on-field workout on the road would be the closest thing to a dress rehearsal he could get prior to playing in Cleveland for the opener.

The flip side of the argument is that Burrow is as dialed in as any player on the team and probably doesn’t need that sort of dry run. So if he doesn’t make the trip to Washington, it shouldn’t be viewed as problematic for his prospects of playing Week 1. But if he does travel, it would have significance.

Taylor didn’t want to comment on whether Burrow would be making the trip.

“There’s some (injured) guys we’ll leave behind,” he said during Thursday’s news conference.

MORE: Who Is Going To Win the Job as Joe Burrow’s Backup?

Will Burrow be one of them?

“There’s a lot of guys we will leave behind,” he repeated.

If a lot of the injured players aren’t making the trip and Burrow does, that would be telling.