Joe Burrow carted off field after apparent non-contact injury
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) walks the sideline in the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 12 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paul Brown Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021. Mandatory Credit: Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Cincinnati Bengals will be holding their breath as they await word on quarterback Joe Burrow, who suffered an apparent non-contact injury at practice on Thursday.
Burrow was working with the offense in 11-on-11 drills and pulled up lame when running a play. Burrow quickly went down due to an apparent right leg injury, and there did not appear to be any contact on the play.
Joe Burrow pulls up with a lower right leg injury. pic.twitter.com/XTDHwG7klD
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) July 27, 2023
Burrow did not appear able to put any weight on his right leg and had to be carted off the field.
BREAKING: Joe Burrow was just carted to the locker room, after going down on a play during 11-on-11.
🎥 Video of the play, and Joe leaving the field:#Benagls @WCPO pic.twitter.com/FPl1PQ8O4c
— Caleb Noe (@CalebNoeTV) July 27, 2023
After practice, Bengals coach Zac Taylor told the media that Burrow was believed to have a calf issue, and that the team would know more soon about the potential severity of the injury.
Zac Taylor says it was a calf issue for Burrow. They’ll know more soon.
— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) July 27, 2023
Obviously, non-contact injuries usually leave people fearing the worst, and that is certainly the case here. The Bengals will be hoping the issue is not serious and is something that can be nursed back to health before the start of the season. If it is simply his calf, that is possible. Anything more severe would have a massive impact on the Bengals’ plans for 2023, as they view themselves as Super Bowl contenders. A healthy Burrow is central to those ambitions.
Burrow has tallied back-to-back 4,000-yard seasons, and has thrown 69 touchdown passes over the last two years. He had been in talks with the Bengals over a huge new contract that would likely have been helped along by something that took place on Wednesday.