Bengals' Joe Burrow Carted off with Calf Injury at Practice; Reportedly Has Strain

This is not the start to the 2023 season the Cincinnati Bengals were hoping for.

Star quarterback Joe Burrow left the field on a cart after suffering a non-contact calf injury during training camp Thursday.

According to ESPN's Dianna Russini, Burrow was diagnosed with a strained calf. A timetable for recovery remains unclear, but a source told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler a strain is the "100% best-case scenario."

Head coach Zac Taylor confirmed after practice Burrow was dealing with a calf issue.

Wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase told reporters indications from Burrow were that the quarterback was doing well.

"We always give each other that nod," he said. "He gave me a nod he's all right. He's a strong dude."

Any injury to the 26-year-old is going to be a major point of stress in Cincinnati.

In his rookie season in 2020, Burrow looked the part of the No. 1 overall pick, throwing for 2,688 yards, 13 touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 65.3 percent of his passes across 10 starts. That didn't translate to many wins—the Bengals were just 2-7-1 in his starts—but it was clear he had game.

All of that came to an end when he tore his ACL and MCL in November of his rookie year. But Burrow didn't miss a beat in his sophomore campaign, throwing for 4,611 yards, 34 touchdowns and 14 interceptions while completing a league-high 70.4 percent of his passes and leading the Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance.

While the team ultimately lost that contest to the Los Angeles Rams, the Bengals had themselves a star—and a potential future MVP, too.

More injury concerns came up ahead of the 2022 season, when it was revealed that Burrow sprained his MCL in that Super Bowl loss, though it didn't require surgery. He also underwent an appendectomy in late July.

In 2022, he continued his ascent, throwing for 4,475 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while completing 68.3 percent of his passes.

With the LSU product under center, the Bengals are a legitimate contender, as he leads one of the most dangerous offenses in the NFL. Running back Joe Mixon and wideouts Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd have given him a loaded suite of weapons to work with going forward.

If the signal-caller misses significant time due to this latest injury, though, those championship aspirations may be on ice. Trevor Siemian will take over as the team's quarterback while he is sidelined.

Siemien would be a major downgrade from Burrow, but Burrow isn't the type of player who can simply be replaced anyway.