Taylor: Joe Burrow to Practice for Bengals amid Injury, Says 'Soreness Is an Issue'

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow returned to practice Thursday as he continues his recovery from a re-aggravation of a right calf injury.

However, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor told reporters Thursday that "soreness is an issue" as he expressed some caution on Burrow's status in advance of the team's Monday Night Football game against the Los Angeles Rams.

"We'll see. I doubt it'd be full if he's out there, but we'll see," Taylor said. "Soreness is an issue right now. So giving him some time is best. That's all I have to say about today."

Burrow has struggled through two games, completing 56.9 percent of his passes for two touchdowns (one interception) and 304 yards. It's a far cry from his usual stellar play—Burrow threw for 69 scores (26 picks) and 9,086 yards on a 69.3 percent completion rate from 2021-2022.

It's certainly understandable for Burrow to be rusty after missing over a month of training camp. Burrow suffered the calf strain on July 27 and didn't return until Aug. 30.

His first game back was on Sept. 10, and on a rainy afternoon in Cleveland, Burrow completed just 14-of-32 passes for 67 yards. He fared far better the next week against the Baltimore Ravens, completing 27-of-41 passes for 216 yards for two touchdowns and one interception.

Unfortunately, Burrow suffered a "tweak" of the injury in the latter portion of the game and was seen limping. Per Burrow, the tweak occurred on the play before he tossed a four-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tee Higgins with 3:28 left in the game. The Bengals never got the ball back, but Taylor said postgame that Burrow would have returned if they did.

It's unclear right now what Burrow's status will be for Monday, but the extra day of rest should certainly help. If Burrow can't go, then the Bengals will call on Jake Browning to start.