It’s looking more and more like Joe Burrow will return for Sunday’s game against the Patriots.
For the second day in a row, the Bengals have listed Burrow as a full participant in practice, as he returns from surgery to repair torn ligaments in his toe.
Multiple reporters on the scene noted that Burrow was taking snaps from starting center Ted Karras and was the first quarterback up in drills. Joe Flacco, who has started the last five games for Cincinnati since he arrived via trade from Cleveland, was second in line.
Burrow’s original reported timetable for return was sometime in December. It was then reported that he had set the Thanksgiving night matchup against the Ravens as a target date.
But with two full practices, Burrow appears well on the way to beating that timeline.
Burrow completed 21-of-36 passes for 189 yards with two touchdowns in his first two games this season. In 2024, Burrow led the league with 5,918 passing yards and 43 touchdowns, winning AP comeback player of the year.
Burrow will have to be activated to the 53-man roster to play on Sunday.
Also on the injury report, Flacco (right shoulder) remained limited. Defensive end Cedric Johnson (ankle) was upgraded from limited to full. Guard Jalen Rivers (knee/ankle) was upgraded from a non-participant to limited.
Defensive end Trey Hendrickson (hip/pelvis), running back Samaje Perine (ankle), defensive end Cam Sample (oblique), and cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt (foot) all remained out of practice.
Tight end Mike Gesicki (pectoral), receiver Jermaine Burton (illness), and safety Daijahn Anthony (hamstring) all remained full.