Recently, the Cincinnati Bengals made a trade for Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco, giving themselves a replacement option for Jake Browning. Browning was inserted into the lineup after starter Joe Burrow went down due to a toe injury in the team's Week 2 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Cincinnati has not won another game since that point.
Recently, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor was asked if there was any update on Burrow's status, and he gave a blunt answer.
“I do not have any update on Burrow,” said Taylor, per Andrew Siciliano on X, formerly Twitter.
When Burrow's injury and need for surgery were first announced, he was expected to miss a minimum of three months, and it hasn't even been one yet, so it makes sense that Taylor would not have much in the way of new information on that front.
Still, Bengals fans would certainly love to have their franchise quarterback out on the field amid the team's extreme patch of turbulence they're currently enduring.
Tough times in Cincinnati
While Joe Burrow is without a doubt one of the five best quarterbacks in the league, and some would argue higher, when healthy, his availability has become a major concern in recent years, with the star consistently missing large chunks of seasons due to various ailments.
In the 2023 campaign, Browning took over when Burrow went out for injury down the stretch of the season, and although he performed much better than he has through three weeks this year, the team still missed the playoffs.
Last year, Burrow was able to stay healthy throughout the season, but the Bengals still missed out on the postseason due to their putrid defense.
While 2-3 is by no means a death sentence in the NFL, it's hard to conjure up many reasons for hope for this Bengals team, especially considering that Burrow's potential return is not yet a speck on the horizon.
Making matters worse is the tough schedule that the Bengals have been dealing with, which continues on Sunday on the road against the Green Bay Packers.
