CINCINNATI — Will Joe Burrow return on Sunday against the Patriots?
We'll know by Saturday at 4 p.m. ET. That's the deadline for the Bengals to make any final roster moves, which includes activating Burrow from injured reserve to the 53-man roster.
Burrow has participated in seven-straight practices dating back to Nov. 10 when he was cleared to practice. That includes two full practices on Wednesday and Thursday of this week.
“I think Joe has done everything he can to put himself in a position to get back," Zac Taylor said onFriday. "We are just going to keep taking our time on this one. No decision has been made. I feel comfortable waiting as long as we can to make this decision.”
If Burrow does return on Sunday, it will be much earlier than the mid-December timeline that was speculated when he underwent surgery 64 days ago. He will wear a carbon fiber plate in his left cleat whenever he does return, which seems inevitable at this point.
Will it be Sunday? That's the question. Is there a significant risk of re-injury?
"I view the risk of re-injury as low," Dr. Brandon Bowers told us in an exclusive Q&A. "The carbon fiber plate provides solid protection for the toe. However, because he may be returning slightly ahead of schedule, he could be a bit less mobile when scrambling and may have more difficulty escaping pressure. That could lead to a few extra hits on plays he might normally evade."
Taylor made it sound like the Bengals might be willing to activate Burrow, but still start Joe Flacco. That appears to be more gamesmanship than anything.
There's no point in burning a roster spot on Burrow if he's not healthy enough to play. And if he's healthy enough to play then he's going to start—not be the backup.
We'll get the Bengals' decision on Saturday by 4 p.m. ET.
For more on what Taylor said on Friday, go here. For our conversation with Dr. Bowers, go here.
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