New England Patriots - NESN.com
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow will play on Sunday against the New England Patriots — or maybe he won’t.
It’s all dependant on who you ask…
Burrow, who underwent toe surgery after suffering an injury on Sept. 14 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, is eligible to return from injured reserve at any point before Dec. 1 — having already started the clock on his return window. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor has remained relatively quiet with regard to his quarterback’s eventual return, but given the fact he’s commanded first-team reps and has been a full participant in practices, many believe he’ll be activated this week.
Burrow, however, wasn’t among the club’s trio of roster moves on Friday.
The Bengals made two moves relating to their injured reserve list — activating tight end Mike Gesicki and shelving cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt — and might just be done for the week, according to Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
“Joe Burrow isn’t going through team stretch. He’s by himself with his helmet on down by the other side of the field,” Conway posted to X on Friday. “Joe Flacco and the rest of the quarterbacks are stretching This is an interesting development and telling of what Sunday is likely to look like.”
It’s unlikely that the club would give him first-team reps without intending to reinsert him into the starting lineup, but it also felt unlikely that they would have their superstar quarterback return without his top wide receiver during a stretch in which they had to play two games in five days…
Cincinnati ultimately needs to make a decision before 4 p.m. ET on Saturday.
If they activate Burrow, he plays. If they don’t, he won’t.
