Bengals Expect QB Joe Burrow To Play In Week 13
Joe Burrow has not experienced any setbacks since returning to practice two weeks ago. The Bengals have not yet activated him from injured reserve, but they appear very close to doing so. 
When speaking to the media on Monday, head coach Zac Taylor said (via ESPN’s Ben Baby) the plan is for Burrow to play on Thanksgiving against the Ravens. A return in time for Week 12 was seen as a possibility at one point, but the team elected to start Joe Flacco one more time. Flacco is now set for backup duties to close out the season.
Burrow pushed to return in time for yesterday’s game, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated notes. The team’s schedule proved to be a critical factor in Cincinnati’s decision-making, however. To little surprise, Breer adds the Bengals kept Burrow inactive for Week 12 knowing they had a quick turnaround. Provided the coming days go well, Cincinnati’s starter will be back in the fold.
Having lost to the Patriots on Sunday, the Bengals sit at just 3-8 on the year. A third straight season outside of the playoffs is very likely as a result. Once Burrow returned to practice, though, it became clear he would suit up for the closing stages of the season regardless of Cincinnati’s record. The two-time Comeback Player of the Year will look to give the team a lift on offense even with a postseason berth essentially out of reach.
Scoring has not always been an issue during Flacco’s tenure atop the QB depth chart, but the Bengals sit 18th in the NFL in scoring and 23rd in yards per game through Week 12. Of course, defensive improvement will be needed if the Bengals are to make progress in the standing down the stretch; the team ranks last in points and yards allowed. A healthy Burrow could help the compensate for ongoing issues on that side of the ball.
The former No. 1 pick’s career has included numerous major injuries, but he secured a $55MM-per-year extension in 2023. Given Burrow’s compensation, an argument could be made in favor of the Bengals sitting him for the rest of 2025 and ensuring full health for next year. Instead, he will suit up for (if all goes according to plan) Cincinnati’s final six games.
In other injury news, Taylor added (via Baby) Trey Hendrickson‘s hip injury will sideline him for at least one more game. Last year’s sack leader is out for Week 13, as is receiver Tee Higgins (who suffered a concussion yesterday). The Bengals’ offense will not be a full strength on Thanksgiving as a result, but Burrow is on track to lead the unit.
Bengals’ Duke Tobin On Hot Seat?
Duke Tobin has served as the Bengals‘ director of player personnel and de facto general manager since 2002. Despite his lengthy tenure, Tobin’s job security may be in doubt.
Per Mike Jones of The Athletic (subscription required), league insiders are questioning whether team owner Mike Brown will keep his top lieutenant in the fold. After all, the 3-7 Bengals are just two losses away from clinching a losing season and, barring a miraculous turn of events, will miss the playoffs for a third straight year.
Of course, Cincinnati’s difficulties since the club advanced to the AFC Championship Game at the end of the 2022 campaign can largely be attributed to quarterback Joe Burrow’s health concerns. The star passer played in just 10 games in 2023 and has appeared in just two contests this year, and any team that loses its QB1 for long stretches of time – especially a player of Burrow’s caliber – is going to struggle.
But Burrow played a full complement of games last year, and the Bengals still failed to qualify for the postseason (Burrow finished fourth in MVP voting and may have fared better in that regard if Cincy had cracked the playoff field). The culprit for 2024’s failures was not Burrow’s health, it was the defense, which surrendered the eighth-most yards and the eighth-most points per game.
This year, the defense has performed even more poorly. The Bengals are dead last in total defense and scoring defense, so although 40-year-old quarterback Joe Flacco has kept the offense in decent shape after Jake Browning faltered in relief of Burrow – Cincy is averaging 28.6 points per game and 385.6 yards per game during Flacco’s five games at the controls – the team has just one win since Burrow went down.
Earlier this year, Tobin conceded he tried to keep the defensive core of the roster that advanced to Super Bowl LVI intact for a bit too long, which he believed was a factor in the unit’s 2024 struggles. In order to address last season’s deficiencies, Tobin devoted three of his first four picks in the 2025 draft to the defensive side of the ball, including first-round selection Shemar Stewart and second-rounder Demetrius Knight.
Unfortunately, Stewart has appeared in only five games due to injury, and he generally has failed to impress when he has been on the field (Knight has also failed to live up to expectations in his rookie season). The team’s handling of Stewart’s and Trey Hendrickson’s contract situations have invited outside scrutiny, though Brown surely had a hand in those matters and may not hold them against Tobin.
What will work against the 55-year-old exec is his recent inability to hit on defensive players in the draft. Those shortcomings have undermined DC Al Golden’s efforts in his first year in charge of the Bengals’ defense and have made the decision to fire Lou Anarumo in favor of Golden look like a poor one.
On the other hand, some rival executives believe Burrow’s injury and Brown’s frugality will give Tobin a reprieve and another chance to return the team to contention in 2026. Until Brown formally confirms as much, Tobin’s future in the Queen City will remain a talking point.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/22/25
Here are Week 12’s minor moves and standard gameday practice squad elevations for the Sunday slate tomorrow:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed from practice squad: CB Darren Hall
- Elevated: TE Pharaoh Brown, LB Channing Tindall
Baltimore Ravens
- Elevated: LB Chandler Martin, CB Amani Oruwariye
Cincinnati Bengals
- Elevated: RB Gary Brightwell, CB Jalen Davis
Cleveland Browns
- Elevated: QB Bailey Zappe
Green Bay Packers
- Elevated: LB Jamon Johnson, RB Pierre Strong
Kansas City Chiefs
- Elevated: RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed from practice squad: S Tanner Ingle
- Elevated: LB Elias Neal, WR Brennan Presley
New England Patriots
- Elevated: DT Jeremiah Pharms
New Orleans Saints
- Elevated: WR Dante Pettis, G William Sherman
New York Giants
- Activated from reserve/PUP: RB Eric Gray
- Elevated: LB Swayze Bozeman, WR Dalen Cambre
- Placed on IR: TE Thomas Fidone II
New York Jets
- Activated from IR: LB Marcelino McCrary-Ball
- Waived: LB Ja’Markis Weston
Seattle Seahawks
- Elevated: LB Patrick O’Connell, LB Jamie Sheriff
- Placed on IR: WR Tory Horton (story)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Elevated: S Marcus Banks
Tennessee Titans
- Activated from IR: RB Kalel Mullings
- Elevated: WR Xavier Restrepo
There hasn’t been much of an update since it was reported that rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel was going through the league’s concussion protocol. He was able to get some limited practice time in yesterday, but he hasn’t yet been cleared. With Gabriel’s status up in the air, Zappe is getting called up in case he’s needed to back up the new starting rookie, Shedeur Sanders.
O’Connell and Sheriff are getting called up with linebackers Tyrice Knight out with a concussion and Ernest Jones questionable with a knee injury. This will be O’Connell’s third and final practice squad elevation, so if the Seahawks wants to see him play again this year, they will need to sign him to the active roster.
Bengals’ Joe Burrow Will Not Play In Week 12
NOVEMBER 22: Burrow will not be activated off IR on Saturday, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The Bengals will need to win Sunday’s matchup for a Thanksgiving return from Burrow to make sense. A loss would keep their playoff chances below 1%, per Next Gen Stats, while a win would push them to 2% and keep their hopes alive long enough for their star quarterback to get back on the field.
NOVEMBER 21: Burrow was only a limited participant in practice on Friday, with Flacco taking the majority of offensive reps. Taylor acknowledged (via ESPN’s Ben Baby) the Bengals’ upcoming short week ahead of their Thanksgiving contest is a factor which will be considered. That would point in the direction of Burrow remaining sidelined for at least one more game.
NOVEMBER 19: The Bengals designated star quarterback Joe Burrow to return from injured reserve last Monday, opening up his 21-day practice window. That was nine days ago, so the team has 12 days to determine whether or not he will be activated this season. Things could be looking pretty good on that front, as Burrow appeared as a full participant on Cincinnati’s injury report today. 
In his first week back at practice, Burrow was able to participate in some noncontact 7-on-7 work and was still feeling good after getting back in the action. At the 7-day mark, head coach Zac Taylor laid out their goals for moving forward.
“This week, the plan will be: let’s get to Wednesday and see if we can work him in some 11-on-11 and go from there,” Taylor told the media, per Kelsey Conway of The Cincinnati Enquirer. “Before we ever do that, there’s no reason to have a discussion on what the timeline is beyond that, because there are steps we have to follow.”
Two days later, Burrow did his assigned 11-on-11 work as a full participant in practice today. Burrow’s return to practice surprisingly hasn’t limited the team’s access to backup passer Joe Flacco, who’s still expected to start for Cincinnati against the Patriots this weekend. Flacco has been dealing with a right shoulder injury since Week 9. In every week that they’ve had a Sunday game since, Flacco has sat out Wednesday practice, been a limited participant in practice on Thursday, and sat out again on Friday before doing walkthroughs leading up to the game.
So, Burrow got the ball today as Flacco sat out per usual. Tomorrow is usually a limited day for Flacco, but the Bengals will obviously want him to get time with the first-team offense if he’ll be starting this week. Burrow still could get good amount of time with the first string if Flacco is limited as usual. Taylor wanted to get his star passer back in 11-on-11, and it looks like we’re getting more of that this week. Asked whether Burrow could start this weekend’s matchup with New England, Taylor replied, “Until we get through some practices, there’s no reason for me to even speculate on that.”
We already know that team and player both intend for Burrow to return despite the team’s long odds on a postseason berth, as long as he’s ready. With that in mind, this weekend’s game could be Flacco’s final start in front of the Cincinnati crowd. Following this weekend, Flacco should get another matchup against the team that drafted him — this time in a different shade of orange — before another road game takes the team to Buffalo.
The game against the Bills has been deemed the likeliest time for Burrow’s return, but there’s still a chance — slim as it may be — that he could get activated in time to go head-to-head against Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, and Jackson again in three straight weeks. There’s also a chance the team activates him but slow plays his return until they’re sure he’s ready to go. For now, though, Burrow continues to make insane progress in his return from an injury that many expected would end his season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/21/25
Here are Friday’s minor moves:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed from practice squad: DE Isaiah Foskey
Miami Dolphins
- Placed on IR: S Jordan Colbert
Foskey joins Cincinnati’s 53-man roster after appearing in two games off the practice squad. After failing to make the initial 53-man roster for the Saints, who drafted him in the second round two years ago, Foskey gets an opportunity in Cinci, where the Bengals have four defensive ends on the injury report with two already ruled out for the weekend.
Colbert suffered a stinger in this weekend’s game in Madrid. His time on the 53-man roster comes to an end after a short month and a half.
Bengals Activate TE Mike Gesicki From IR
On Wednesday, Mike Gesicki returned to practice. No setbacks have taken place since, and the veteran tight end is set to suit up this week as a result.
Gesicki was activated from injured reserve by the Bengals on Friday, per a team announcement. He is therefore in line to play in Week 12 against the Patriots. Cincinnati will be without Ja’Marr Chase on Sunday due to his one-game suspension. Getting Gesicki back will help compensate for his absence.
It remains to be seen if Joe Burrow will be able to play on Sunday. Even if that is not the case, the team’s offense will be closer to full strength with Gesicki back in the fold. The 30-year-old made six appearances in 2025 before landing on IR due to a pectoral injury. Prior to going down, he managed just eight scoreless catches.
An uptick in production could be in store down the stretch, though, especially once Burrow is on the field. Gesicki posted a 65-665-2 statline in 2024, his debut Bengals season. That made the former second-rounder a strong complementary option in the passing game behind Chase and fellow receiver Tee Higgins. Things have not been the same this season, but a rebound will be targeted over the closing stages of the season in this case.
Gesicki initially joined the Bengals on a one-year deal. His strong showing led to a $25.5MM contract being worked out this past offseason, and the Penn State product is owed a $2MM roster bonus next spring. With plenty of money still owing on his contract, Gesicki’s performances down the stretch will be worth watching closely.
In a corresponding roster move, cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt has been moved to IR. That comes as little surprise since the pending free agent is in danger of missing the remainder of the season due to a Lisfranc injury. Taylor-Britt will be sidelined for at least the next four games, but that absence could extend much longer.
Bengals Designate Mike Gesicki For Return
The Bengals announced that they have designated tight end Mike Gesicki to return from IR. The team also opened safety Daijahn Anthony‘s practice window. The Bengals will have 21 days to activate both players.
There’s a chance Cincinnati will get Gesicki back as early as this Sunday against New England. Head coach Zac Taylor said Gesicki is “ready to hit the ground running” after missing four games with a pectoral injury (via Ben Baby of ESPN).
Gesicki began his career with the Dolphins and spent 2023 with the Patriots before joining the Bengals. They inked him to a one-year, $3.25MM deal heading into 2024. It proved to be a shrewd investment, as Gesicki caught 65 passes for 665 yards and two touchdowns during a 17-game season.
The Bengals were impressed enough with Gesicki’s 2024 output to give him a raise. They re-signed the 6-foot-6, 245-pounder to a three-year, $25.5MM pact last March.
Before going on IR, Gesicki was unable to approach last year’s production. He opened this season catching just eight of 16 targets for 61 yards in six games, though Gesicki barely worked with Joe Burrow during that stretch. The franchise quarterback suffered a toe injury in Week 2 and hasn’t returned yet, but he’s likely to come back in the next couple of weeks.
Gesicki has also barely played with the Bengals’ current starting QB, Joe Flacco, who debuted with the team the week the tight end sustained his injury. If Gesicki takes the field this week, he’ll provide Flacco another target with No. 1 wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase serving a one-game suspension.
The Bengals haven’t gotten what they expected from Gesicki this year, but fellow tight end Noah Fant has performed well. The late-July free agent signing has secured 30 of 34 targets for 256 yards and three TDs. Gesicki will rejoin Fant and blocking specialist Drew Sample as Cincinnati’s top three TEs when the team activates him.
Anthony, a seventh-round pick in 2024, appeared in 13 games as a rookie. Almost all of his snaps (168 of 179) came on special teams. The Bengals placed him on IR with a return designation when they made their final cuts on Aug. 26. Anthony’s hamstring injury wasn’t expected to shelve him for long, but the 25-year-old has missed all 10 of the Bengals’ games so far.
NFL Upholds Ja’Marr Chase’s Suspension
NOVEMBER 18: Hearing officer Jordy Nelson has upheld the Chase suspension. The All-Pro Bengals wide receiver will miss the team’s Week 12 contest against the 9-2 Patriots.
NOVEMBER 17: The NFL has investigated yesterday’s Ja’Marr Chase–Jalen Ramsey incident. To little surprise, supplemental discipline has been handed down. 
Chase has been issued a one-game suspension, per a league announcement. The news means he will be unavailable for Week 12 against the Patriots barring a successful appeal. Ramsey was ejected on Sunday for his retaliation to being spat on by Chase. The latter initially denied such actions, but video of the incident has since confirmed Chase spat on Ramsey as tensions between the two came to a head during the game.
Presuming the suspension stands, Chase will see a notable financial loss. He is due to forfeit a game check of over $448K along with a per-game roster bonus of nearly $59K. The Bengals, meanwhile, are set to be without their top wideout for one week. Chase declined to speak to the media on Monday.
Chase will appeal the ban, veteran insider Jordan Schultz reports. It would certainly come as a surprise in the event the suspension were to be overturned considering the precedent set earlier this season. Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter was disqualified from the team’s Week 1 game after spitting on Dak Prescott. No suspension was handed down, because Carter’s time out of the game amounted to a one-game absence.
As Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio writes, Chase is pursuing a different route than Carter despite their similar situations. Carter did not appeal the fine he received (and therefore the punishment which was treated as a one-game suspension). Chase, on the other hand, could point to the precedent which existed in the NFL prior to the Carter decision – one which included fines, rather than suspensions, for spitting incidents.
In any event, clarity on this situation will likely emerge in the next day or two. The case will be heard by one of the three hearing officers jointly appointed by the NFL and NFLPA before a final decision is made. If Chase is out for Week 12, a Bengals offense which is still without Joe Burrow will be notably shorthanded in the passing game. Reigning NFL sack leader Trey Hendrickson is also in danger of missing Cincinnati’s next game through injury.
Efforts to work out a monster extension in time for the 2024 season were unsuccessful, and Chase played out the season without a deal in hand. This past spring, he and Tee Higgins each signed their new pacts. Chase landed a four-year, $161MM pact and he is on the books through 2029. The four-time Pro Bowler’s yards per reception average is the lowest of his career, but he has remained a focal point on offense even with Burrow unavailable for much of the season.
Chase led the NFL in receptions, yards and touchdowns in 2024. A second ‘Triple Crown’ campaign does not appear to be in store, although the LSU product’s 79 catches currently pace the league. Missed time through this suspension being upheld will hinder Chase’s chances of remaining the NFL leader in that regard; it will also deal another blow to the 3-7 Bengals’ playoff chances.
Bengals CB Cam Taylor-Britt Could Miss Remainder Of Season
Cam Taylor-Britt suffered a left foot injury during the Bengals’ loss on Sunday. The fourth-year corner is uncertain to return in 2025. 
Head coach Zac Taylor said on Monday (via ESPN’s Ben Baby) Taylor-Britt will “likely” require surgery to repair the Lisfranc injury he sustained yesterday. If the procedure takes place, his season will be over. Taylor-Britt was seen in a walking boot while using a knee scooter today (h/t Jay Morrison of Sports Illustrated).
The timing of this news is critical. 2025 marks the final year of Taylor-Britt’s rookie contract. Suffering a season-ending injury heading into free agency will no doubt hinder the 26-year-old’s value during his first trip to the open market. In the meantime, Cincinnati’s much-maligned defense will be without a regular contributor to finish the campaign.
Tayl0r-Britt was a full-time starter for his first three Bengals seasons; he recorded seven interceptions and 33 pass deflections over that span. Things have been different this year under new defensive coordinator Al Golden, however. Tayl0r-Britt’s defensive snap share sits at 61% on the year, by far the lowest of his career. Now, the possibility exists he will not play again in 2025.
Dax Hill and DJ Turner have been mainstays at the cornerback position for the Bengals this season. That setup is likely to continue, but depth will be an issue in the secondary presuming Taylor-Britt is sidelined for the remainder of the campaign. The Nebraska product has not enjoyed a productive season, and his PFF coverage grade for 2025 (57) is the worst of his career.
Those factors did not stop Taylor-Britt from drawing interest ahead of the trade deadline. The Bengals elected to keep him in the fold, but his future will now be uncertain. If a deal allowing Taylor-Britt to remain in Cincinnati is to be worked out in the spring, it will come in the wake of a highly disappointing campaign. In the event of a departure, this injury will go a long way in informing his market value.
NFL To Review Ja’Marr Chase-Jalen Ramsey Incident; Latest On Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers
NOVEMBER 17: Despite the “tiny fracture” in his wrist, Rodgers “is pushing to play” on Sunday, according to Rapoport, who hears there’s a “50/50” chance it will happen. It will come down to whether Rodgers is able to grip the football.
NOVEMBER 16, 10:05pm: Per Schefter, there is concern that Rodgers sustained a “slight break” in his left wrist. More clarity, including how much time Rodgers might miss, will come after his evaluation on Monday. It sounds as if some missed time is expected, because Schefter followed his report regarding the possible break with a post suggesting Rudolph will be under center when the Steelers face the Bears in Week 12.
Nonetheless, Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network says this is not expected to be a long-term issue.
5:54pm: The Bengals lost an important divisional game against the Steelers on Sunday, dropping them to 3-7. Already without starting quarterback Joe Burrow until at least Week 13, Cincinnati may also lose its top wideout, Ja’Marr Chase, for a game.
In the fourth quarter of the Bengals-Steelers contest, Pittsburgh’s Jalen Ramsey was ejected for punching Chase. While passing along a video of the incident, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo says Ramsey’s transgression appears to have been more of a grab of Chase’s facemask than a true punch. Ramsey and Chase had already been flagged for offsetting unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, however, so Ramsey presumably would have been ejected regardless.
Ramsey’s teammate, Joey Porter Jr., told reporters after the game that Chase spit on Ramsey, which triggered the mercurial defensive back’s reaction (video link via ESPN’s Kimberley A. Martin). Porter acknowledges he did not see the alleged expectoration, and Chase unequivocally denied it (via Martin).
But in a video passed along by Fox 19 sports photographer Austin Briski, it appears Ramsey was correct and that Chase did, in fact, spit on him. Head referee Bill Vinovich said in the postgame pool report that neither he nor any other members of his crew witnessed that part of the altercation (from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, via Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette).
An NFL spokesman told ESPN’s Adam Schefter the league will be reviewing the incident. And, as Garafolo reminds us, league precedent indicates spitting does merit a suspension.
Eagles DT Jalen Carter technically was not suspended for spitting on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott in the first regular season game of the 2025 slate. However, that was only because the incident took place immediately after the opening kickoff, and before Carter even played a snap (Carter was fined the amount of a full game check). Since the Chase-Ramsey incident transpired in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s matchup, Chase could certainly be hit with a brief ban as well as a fine.
The spitting saga overshadowed the fact that the Steelers played half of the game without starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The soon-to-be 42-year-old sustained a left wrist injury late in the first half and did not return. Per Rapoport, Rodgers will undergo an evaluation on his wrist on Monday morning.
Backup Mason Rudolph completed 12 of 17 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown.