Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase Says He Told Joe Burrow Not to Play Week 1 After Calf Injury

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase wants quarterback Joe Burrow to take it slow in his recovery from a calf injury.

During an appearance on NFL Network on Friday (h/t Pro Football Talk's Michael David Smith), Chase said he told Burrow to be cautious and not rush back, even if it means missing the start of the regular season: "I told him, in all honesty, I don't want him there. I sat out an extra game just to let my hip heal all the way up. You don't want to cause problems later in the season. As long as you're there after Week 5 and on, we're good, brother."

During practice last week, Burrow rolled to his right and immediately came up lame. He hopped on one leg, fell to the ground and seemed to be favoring his leg:

Per ESPN's Stephen Holder, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor later provided an update, saying Burrow was expected to miss "several weeks" with a right calf strain.

No firm timetable has been given for Burrow's return, and Chase noted that Burrow himself isn't sure when he'll be back, saying: "He told me he's going to see how he feels when the time comes. He doesn't know when he'll be back, but he'll be back soon."

Chase alluded to the fact that he took some extra time to come back from a hip injury last season, resulting in him missing five games.

Still, he finished with 87 receptions for 1,046 yards and nine touchdowns in 12 games, and was named a Pro Bowler for the second consecutive season.

Burrow was also highly productive last season, earning his first Pro Bowl nod after completing 68.3 percent of his passes for 4,475 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

One year after Burrow, Chase and Co. reached the Super Bowl, the Bengals went to the AFC Championship Game last season, falling to the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.

Expectations are sky high for the Bengals entering the 2023 campaign, as they are considered one of three teams to beat in the AFC along with the Chiefs and Buffalo Bills.

While the Bengals should be fine in the long run once Burrow gets healthy, the start of the year could be a major challenge if he isn't ready in time for Week 1.

The only other quarterbacks on the roster behind Burrow currently are Trevor Siemian, Jake Browning and Reid Sinnett.

Siemian, 31, will likely start if Burrow misses time since he has 30 career NFL starts to his credit.

Siemian is 13-17 in those starts with the Denver Broncos, New York Jets, New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears. In 35 games overall during his NFL career, Siemian has completed 58.9 percent of his passes for 7,027 yards, 42 touchdowns and 28 interceptions.

The offense would be far less dynamic under Siemian, but with weapons like Chase, Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd and Joe Mixon at his disposal, he would perhaps be able to keep the Bengals' heads above water until Burrow's return.