Joe Burrow goes down at Bengals camp with a calf injury after coming up limp during
In a troubling scene for Bengals fans, Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow was helped off the field after suffering a right calf injury at Thursday’s training camp practice.
Burrow was scrambling out of the pocket during a non-contact scrimmage when he came up limp, while favoring his right leg. He was then helped off the field by teammates, as recorded by the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway.
She later said that Burrow has a strained calf but it is not yet known how long his absence will be to recover from the injury.
The former first-overall draft pick is expected to sign a massive contract extension, although it’s unclear if a potential injury could impact negotiations.
Burrow tore the ACL in his left knee during the 2020 season and has battled injuries during previous training camps as well.
Head coach Zac Taylor said the team has no information on the injury yet, but added that he hopes to give an update on Friday.
Cincinnati QB Joe Burrow was helped off the field at Thursday’s training camp practice
Joe Burrow is helped to the cart by teammates in what could prove to be a major injury
Burrow had a sleeve on his right calf when he went down Thursday despite not wearing one earlier in practice.
When asked why Burrow put on the sleeve before getting hurt, Taylor told reporters: ‘I think a lot of guys after the first day had some soreness.’
Burrow and the Bengals are expected to contend for the Super Bowl this year, and the former LSU star is also expected to sign a long-term extension, although the progress on those talks remains unclear. Cincinnati Bengals executives on Monday refused to discuss the state of the negotiations with the franchise quarterback.
Signing the 2022 Pro Bowler and 2021 AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year to an extension was a goal of the team this summer. Both sides have done an incredible job of keeping details of the talks locked down tight.
‘I have bound myself not to talk about Joe’s contract,’ Bengals owner Mike Brown told reporters a day before camp opens. ‘They don’t think it’s helpful for the negotiations. The other side has made the same commitment, and they have not broken it.’
The new deal for the top overall pick in the 2020 draft is expected to make him one of the highest paid players in the NFL.
Head coach Zac Taylor said the team has no information on the injury yet
Cincinnati picked up the fifth-year option on Burrow’s rookie contract in April ahead of an expected megadeal, which, based on what other top quarterbacks are making, could put him in the range of $50 million a season.
Brown said he’s not alarmed that talks have run into the start of training camp.
‘I’m not shocked that this thing is where it is,’ the 87-year-old owner said. ‘It’s only natural that they want to get what they can get, the best that they can get.’
The 26-year-old Burrow, who reported to camp Sunday, led the Bengals to a Super Bowl after the 2021 season, a 23-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Last season, Cincinnati finished 12-4, winning the AFC North for the second straight year, with Burrow setting franchise single-season records for completions, pass attempts and passing touchdowns.
During summer workouts, Burrow demurred when reporters inquired about his contract situation. He did say his goals are to win a Super Bowl in Cincinnati and supplant the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes as the ‘best in the world.’
Mahomes won his second league MVP last season before winning his second Super Bowl in four years. He also won his second Super Bowl MVP. Mahomes’ Chiefs defeated Burrow’s Bengals in the AFC title game.
Brown said a year ago that the team had begun restructuring finances in order to ink Burrow to a long-term deal. The Bengals cleared more salary cap space when running back Joe Mixon accepted a restructured deal and pay cut this month to stay with the Bengals.
Other things are on hold until Burrow’s deal is done, including a contract for receiver Tee Higgins, who also is eligible for an extension. Star receiver Ja’Marr Chase will be eligible for an extension after this season. Both likely will command salaries that put them among the highest-paid receivers in the league.
Bengals receivers Tee Higgins #5, Tyler Boyd #83, and Ja’Marr Chase #1 are pictured
‘I don’t know how these pieces are going to fit just yet,’ Brown said. ‘We have a pretty good idea of how much we have to spend and how it’s accounted for in the cap. And we don’t know where these other deals will end up. But we know we will be pressed to fit them all in.’
Burrow can look forward to perhaps the best offensive line during his time with the Bengals. The team signed four-time Pro Bowler Orlando Brown Jr. to play left tackle on a line that was consistent last year until three starters were injured late in the season.
Jonah Williams, a first-round pick in 2019 who has lined up at left tackle for the Bengals in all of his 47 career starts, will compete to be the starting right tackle.
‘This is a good as I’ve felt going into a season,’ offensive coordinator Brian Callahan said.