8:30pm: NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports Burrow will, to no surprise, take part in a workout Monday morning to determine his pain level and help determine his availability for the game. All sides remain intent on pushing a final decision all the way until game time with plenty at stake for the Bengals as they look to avoid an 0-3 start.

4:03pm: During Fox Sports’ pregame coverage, Jay Glazer noted that Burrow’s “serious” calf issue limited him to scout team work yesterday. He was, however, able to serve with the first-team offense in a walkthrough earlier today. The extra recovery time granted by the Bengals’ matchup with the Rams coming on a Monday will no doubt play a huge role in Burrow’s ultimate availability, and all eyes will be on his health come tomorrow.

9:58am: Ranking 20th in QBR after two concerning performances, Joe Burrow is questionable for the Bengals’ Super Bowl LVI rematch against the Rams on Monday night. Cincinnati’s star quarterback has logged two limited practices ahead of that suddenly pivotal matchup, but the calf injury he suffered during training camp has clearly left him at less than 100%.

Some among the Bengals want Burrow to hold off on playing at less than 100%, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, but others in the building are concerned about the prospect of dropping to 0-3 and thus would prefer the recently extended standout in the lineup regardless (subscription required).

[RELATED: Bengals Give Burrow Record-Setting Extension]

Burrow is among those taking Cincy’s 0-2 record into account, per the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway. Since the NFL expanded its playoffs to six teams per conference in 1990, only four teams — the 1992 Chargers, 1995 Lions, 1998 Bills and 2018 Texans — have qualified for the postseason after starting 0-3. With the league now at seven teams per conference, that number should be expected to grow. But history certainly points to 0-3 being a barrier the Bengals would have a difficult time negotiating.

The consensus among Burrow’s teammates may not be especially bullish, with ProFootballNetwork.com’s Jay Morrison noting Bengals players expect the fourth-year passer to be inactive for Monday’s game. That said, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport notes Burrow has improved this week, increasing his practice snaps from “just a couple” Friday to more on Saturday. While Burrow has missed the past three preseasons — due to ACL rehab, appendicitis and this calf injury, respectively — he has not missed a regular-season game due to injury since the November 2020 ACL tear cut his rookie year short.

This is expected to go down to the wire Monday, per Russini. The Bengals have Jake Browning in place as their Burrow emergency signal-caller. A 2019 Vikings UDFA, Browning has been with the Bengals since September 2021. He has yet to play in a regular-season game and spent the past two seasons as the third-stringer behind Burrow and Brandon Allen. The 49ers signed Allen in May.

Two quarterbacks — Reid Sinnett and ex-Andy Dalton backup A.J. McCarron — now reside on the Bengals’ practice squad. Sinnett joined the 16-man unit Friday, while McCarron returned Saturday. McCarron, 33, played in the XFL this past season; he has not seen NFL game action since 2020. A summer 2021 ACL tear ended McCarron’s 2021 Falcons season early. McCarron played out his rookie contract with the Bengals from 2014-17.

Joe Burrow finished the Bengals’ Week 2 game with soreness in his calf after reaggravating the injury he suffered in July. As a result, missed regular season time could now be in the cards.

Head coach Zac Taylor told the media it is currently “hard to say” if Burrow will be able to suit up for Cincinnati’s Week 3 game against the Rams. That contest will take place on Monday night, giving the team’s franchise signal-caller an extra day to rest. Still, much will depend on Burrow’s ability to manage the strain which cost him the entire preseason and briefly threatened to keep him out for Week 1.

“First of all we have to hear what the doctors have to say before we start to assume anything,” Taylor said of Burrow (who would have continued playing in the closing moments of Sunday’s contest had he needed to), via ESPN’s Ben Baby. “Once we get that information, we have those [conversations], figure out what we’re going to do.”

Burrow and the Bengals’ offense have struggled to begin they year, with the injury likely to blame for at least some of the team’s 0-2 record out of the gate. Given the ground the defending AFC North champions have already lost in the division with losses to the Browns and Ravens, however, signficant urgency exists in the immediate future for Cincinnati. Having Burrow in place would obviously represent the preferred situation to former UDFA Jake Browning being called upon.

On the other hand, Burrow’s five-year, $275MM extension gives the Bengals plenty of cause to proceed cautiously with their franchise cornerstone. A brief absence would give him extra time to heal, though he has previously admitted to the strain being something which will require pain management throughout the campaign. Plenty of attention will be focused on his ability to participate in practice in the coming days.

If Burrow were to end up missing game action, the Bengals would rely on Browning (who attempted one pass in Week 1 after relieving Burrow in the team’s lopsided Week 1 defeat) and Will Grier, who joined the team after roster cutdowns in part due to the chance offered of a backup role given the free agent departure of Brandon Allen. Neither passer would offer anywhere near the upside of Burrow, of course, so such a scenario is one the team will aim to avoid.

Things didn’t go according to plan for the Bengals in Week 1, but the team accomplished its most important offseason goal not long before the campaign started by inking Joe Burrow to a record-breaking extension. Further details have emerged regarding the investment made in the team’s franchise quarterback.

[RELATED: Owners Proposed Player Salary Limit During CBA Talks]

Burrow’s five-year, $275MM extension gives him the title of the NFL’s highest-paid player in terms of annual compensation (one which has changed hands four times in 2023). The pact is notable not only with respect to its $55MM AAV and the $219.01MM in total guarantees, but also the up front commitment made by the Bengals in a move which bucks the organization’s norms regarding major contracts.

Per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Burrow will see roster and training camp bonuses totaling just over $44.5MM in 2023, along with a league minimum base salary. In 2024, he will receive a combined total of $65.7MM between salary and an option bonus; that total sits at $35.25MM for 2025. All of the 26-year-old’s compensation over the next three years is fully guaranteed at signing.

That makes Burrow’s pact a much more lucrative one in terms of early cash flow ($146.5MM across 2023-25) compared to Justin Herbert‘s Chargers extension, as noted by Over the Cap’s Jason Fitzgerald. It also marks a break from tradition in terms of standard practice for the Bengals, who have typically avoided including injury guarantees beyond Year 1 of an extension. Making an exception to that rule was always going to be necessary given the market for QBs on their second contracts, but this structure is certainly noteworthy.

Burrow’s pact – which runs through 2029 – also includes rolling guarantees which cover much of his compensation in 2026 and ’27. Incentives for victories in the AFC title game and Super Bowl are also present through the final five years of the pact, meaning he will be well-positioned for years to come provided he can remain healthy and play at the level he has demonstrated in previous campaigns (which differs greatly from his performance during his first game after signing the mega-pact).

Questions will be raised about how many core contributors the Bengals can retain with Burrow now on the books at a massive raise. Wideout Tee Higgins is among the players who seems destined to at least test the open market before potentially departing in free agency, but the team has cost certainty with its most important player for the foreseeable future.

The Bengals’ roster has seen plenty of alterations over the past few days, but a familiar face was back at practice on Wednesday. Quarterback Joe Burrow took part in team drills for the first time since his calf injury.

Given the timing of the calf strain, questions have been raised about Burrow’s availability for the start of the regular season. The team expressed optimism he would be in place for Week 1 while declining to delve into specifics regarding a timeline for return. By taking the field today, the former No. 1 pick’s absence checked in at just shy of five weeks.

Burrow resumed throwing in mid-August, signaling that he would be able to take part in full team practices not long after. Today’s news confirms that, though Jay Morrison of Pro Football Network notes that Cincinnati elected to reserve practice to 7-on-7, rather than full 11-on-11 drills. The Pro Bowler’s presence was no doubt a welcomed development for the team nevertheless.

The Bengals are again expected to be a contender in the AFC, and their success will ride in very large part on Burrow’s performance. ACL tears in his rookie season and at the conclusion of Super Bowl LVI represent red flags on his NFL resume, however. The LSU alum also missed time late last offseason while recovering from an emergency appendectomy. This latest ailment falls in between the two scenarios in terms of recovery time.

Cincinnati will resume regular practices next week, Morrison adds, and it would come as no surprise if Burrow is in place taking first-team reps at that point. Presuming that takes place, he will have plenty of time to prepare for the team’s season opener and expectations will remain high ahead of the 2023 campaign.

JULY 29: While Taylor still refused to budge on the phrasing of “several weeks” in an interview today with Pelissero, the vibe around camp seems a bit less cautious. “Several weeks” could indicate that Burrow’s recovery could carry into the regular season, causing him to miss a few games, but Pelissero’s colleague Ian Rapoport reports that, in Cincinnati, “there doesn’t appear to be concern” about the star quarterback being ready for Week 1.

JULY 28: The Bengals will not have their superstar quarterback at practice for a while. They are expecting to be without Joe Burrow for several weeks, Zac Taylor said Friday.

Burrow suffered a calf strain during practice Thursday. After reports of the strain circulated, Taylor confirmed this is the injury. The Bengals are planning to add another quarterback, Taylor said (via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero).

Trevor Siemian and Jake Browning are the healthy Cincinnati passers presently. Set to each see first-team time, the two will enjoy more important work soon. Letting previous Burrow backup Brandon Allen walk (to the 49ers) in free agency, the Bengals signed Siemian soon after that transaction. When asked about the possibility Burrow’s absence will stretch into the regular season, the fifth-year Bengals HC did not comment.

Burrow has battled back from bigger injuries in his career, having made it back from a November 2020 ACL tear in time for the 2021 season opener. He also missed camp time due to appendicitis last year.

Wearing a sleeve on his injured leg at Thursday’s practice, Burrow went down on a noncontact play and was eventually carted off the practice field. The Bengals did not consider holding Burrow out of practice yesterday, Taylor said. While it represents good news Burrow’s injury did not affect his Achilles’ tendon, it is obviously not ideal for a Bengals team whose championship hopes hinge on their QB’s availability. Opening with a road game against the Browns, the Bengals do not begin their season for six weeks.

Camp absences have not led to Burrow missing time in the regular season. The former No. 1 overall pick has not missed a start due to injury since returning from the ACL tear. The Bengals held Burrow out of their Week 18 game in 2021. Other than that, the 2019 Heisman winner has been on the field leading the Bengals’ ascent in this span.

An experience disparity exists between the Bengals’ two backups, with Browning — a 2019 Vikings UDFA — having yet to play a regular-season game. Since being given the keys to start Denver’s Super Bowl title defense in 2016, Siemian has made 30 starts. Browning, 27, may have an uphill battle for QB2 duties, despite having been with the team since September 2021. Siemian, 31, has been with five teams — the Vikings, Jets, Titans, Saints and Bears — since his Broncos tenure ended.

This calf issue should not affect the Bengals’ timeline for Burrow’s extension; the fourth-year passer expressed patience when asked about his negotiations this week. With Justin Herbert agreeing to a $52.5MM-per-year deal with the Chargers on Tuesday night, Burrow will be expected to finish the offseason as the NFL’s highest-paid player. It will just be a matter of how much the Cincy QB moves the bar from the Herbert point. This injury figures to keep Burrow off the field until he signs that long-rumored extension.