Burrow is well ahead of schedule in terms of the initial projections for his timeline to return from Sept. 19 turf toe surgery, but the Bengals are cautious of rushing him back to quickly. They have until Dec. 1 to activate him to the roster before his season would officially be over and would need to make that decision by 4 p.m. Saturday for him to play Sunday.
“I think Joe has done everything he can to put himself in a position to get back,” Taylor said Friday. “We are just going to keep taking our time on this one. No decision has been made. He was limited today in practice. I feel comfortable waiting as long as we can to make this decision.”
Taylor said Burrow was limited Friday, after being full-go Wednesday and Thursday, so that both he and Flacco could get first-team reps. Burrow was not in team stretching because he had done a lot of work before that and was well-loosened up doing his own routine, according to Taylor.
Physically, Burrow appears fine and looks sharp throwing the football, and the staff will be assessing all of his practice film from this week to make a decision. The turf toe injury was on his non-planting foot.
“We are still talking to doctors and everything,” Taylor said. “He’s done everything he can. Everything is moving in a great position. Now we just have to make a decision. You play a game Sunday, you play a game Thursday, you got to factor in all that stuff. He has tried to put himself in a position to be ready to go and we’ll try to make a decision later.”
Even if the Bengals add him back to the 53-man roster, it’s possible Flacco could start the game Sunday. Taylor said “everything is on the table.”
Burrow has made clear his desire to play, despite Cincinnati seemingly being out of playoff contention at 3-7 with seven games left. The Bengals were 9-8 the past two years and that wasn’t enough to make the playoffs. Realistically, they can’t afford to lose any more games.
Taylor also is aware of the need to protect Burrow from himself sometimes.
“I view it as very important,” Taylor said. “I have to take into account what I think is best for him. He’s coming back off an injury. He’s been out for a long time. I know he’s of the right mindset and has done everything physically, and then I have to take into account what’s the best thing for him, what’s the best thing for our team and make the soundest decision.”
If Burrow does play Sunday, there are no guardrails that will be put in play, outside of protective footwear he might be wearing.
“The whole point is you’re putting him in there when you feel like he’s fully ready to go and can handle the full game load, because you never know what situation is gonna come up in a game or put you in a situation where your quarterback’s got to be able to operate,” Taylor said. “So I think that all factors into the decision.”
Cincinnati has a quick turnaround to its next game with the Bengals playing on Thanksgiving at Baltimore.
Taylor said that is a factor. There’s also a balance between Burrow feeling ready to go and perhaps benefiting from some extra time getting ready.
“He’s done everything he can,” Taylor said. “He looks great. He looks healthy. You expect it to respond great when he’s out there getting tackled, you don’t know. So, every day that you can take matters with any injury, two games in five days, you have to count for that. You have to take that all into consideration.”
The Bengals are making a tough decision about an important player that might not even be able to make a difference in their playoff fate. Taylor said there are still benefits, despite the big picture of where the team currently sits in the standings.
“I think it’s important,” Taylor said. “Winning is important. Obviously, he is who he is, and he gives us an outstanding chance to win games. And I think for his own he wants to play football. That’s he’s a football player. That’s what he wants to be also.”
About the Author