CINCINNATI — Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, well ahead of schedule in his comeback from a turf toe injury that required surgery, is questionable for Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots.
“I think Joe has done everything he can to put himself in a position to get back,” coach Zac Taylor said. “We are just going to keep taking our time on this one. No decision has been made. He was limited today in practice. I feel comfortable waiting as long as we can to make this decision.”
Burrow would need to be activated off injured reserve before making his return.
If Burrow doesn’t go, then Joe Flacco will make another start for the Bengals (3-7), who have dropped seven of eight. While Flacco is healthy enough to start, he continues to manage a shoulder injury that has impacted him over the last month and was limited in practice this week.
Even though Burrow has only three full days of practice under his belt, he’s still a candidate to start Sunday and make his first appearance since he was injured in a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 14.
“I got to make that decision,” Taylor said. “We will take the time we’ve got. Assess all the practice we’ve got this week. He’s done everything he can to put himself and be ready to go. Now I have to make a decision on what we do.”
Burrow returned to practice in a limited capacity last week, and then he began doing 11-on-11 drills in practice this week.
As Burrow has been working to return as soon as possible, Taylor said that he has a role in protecting Burrow from himself.
“I view it as very important,” Taylor said. “I have to take into account what I think is best for him. He’s coming back off an injury. He’s been out for a long time. I know he’s of the right mindset and has done everything physically, and then I have to take into account what’s the best thing for him, what’s the best thing for our team and make the soundest decision.”
Taylor said that if Burrow started, there wouldn’t be many guardrails.
Burrow historically has struggled in Week 1, and this would be another scenario where he’s coming back to play following a long break. Taylor said that he views Burrow’s midseason return as a much different experience than a Week 1 game, and he’ll be comfortable letting Burrow play how he needs to play to win whenever Burrow is back in the lineup.
“The whole point is you’re putting him in there when you feel like he’s fully ready to go and can handle the full game load,” Taylor said. “Because you never know what situation is gonna come up in a game or put you in a situation where your quarterback’s got to be able to operate. So I think that all factors into the decision.”
Another factor in the decision-making process is that the Bengals face the Baltimore Ravens on Thanksgiving night next week.
“It’s two games in five days,” Taylor said. “It’s part of the equation.”
