Is Joe Burrow playing this week? Everything we know so far about Bengals QB's injury

All eyes are on the Joe Burrow injury update as we crawl towards Week 3. Even franchise owner Mike Brown is keeping a close eye on the proceedings, picking his star quarterback up on a golf cart, and having a conversation with his $275 million investment on Friday.

According to recent reports, Burrow is currently day-to-day over his calf issue. Furthermore, his recovery and return might be affected if he's out for practice before their upcoming game.

Star wide receiver also chimed in on Burrow's injury, telling reporters:

“If I had to guess, I would say no [on Burrow suiting up in Week 3]. I would say no because I've been [telling] him no."

As per earlier reports, Joe Burrow had been feeling better the last two days. As NFL insider Ian Rapoport noted, there haven't been any injury reports for the Cincinnati Bengals, who play on Monday, so Burrow was expected to play.

Burrow was expected to participate in some capacity against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 3.

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What happened to Joe Burrow?

Joe Burrow tweaked his calf at the start of preseason, and the injury ruled him out of the entire training camp.

However, Burrow was declared fit enough to start the 2023 NFL season as the starting quarterback for the Bengals. Unfortunately for the Bengals and Burrow, the one-time Pro Bowler has been far from his best in 2023.

To exacerbate matters, Burrow's strained calf took a battering in the loss to the Baltimore Ravens. He tweaked his right calf during the 27-24 loss and threw for 222 yards, two touchdowns and one pick.

According to ESPN, there have been no indications that Burrow could be dealing with a long-term issue. Still, it may take a few more days of evaluation before Cincinnati has a firm idea about his Week 3 availability.

One thing is for sure: the longer the rest period, the higher the chance of Burrow getting back to his best.

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Exploring Joe Burrow's Injury History

Joe Burrow is arguably a top-five quarterback in the NFL, so it's no surprise that he's the highest-paid player in the league.

Burrow's blend of Pro Bowl play, marketability and social media charm is the perfect trifecta for a modern face of the NFL. However, despite Burrow's success on the gridiron with the Bengals, he's arguably one of the more injury-riddled superstars in the league.

Here are a couple of injury issues that the former first-overall pick has faced.

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Joe Burrow's ACL tear

Joe Burrow's first significant NFL injury came in his rookie year on Nov. 22, 2020. Burrow suffered a grade one knee ACL tear, grade three PCL tear and grade three MCL tear. He sustained the injuries in a Week 11 loss to Washington. He was then placed on injured reserve and shut down for the 2020 season.

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Joe Burrow's finger dislocation

On Dec. 5, 2021, Burrow suffered a hand finger dislocation. The Cincinnati Bengals superstar suffered a dislocated pinkie finger in the Bengals' defeat to the Los Angeles Chargers.

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Joe Burrow's knee injuries

About a month later, on Jan. 2, 2022, Burrow endured a grade-one knee strain. He twisted his knee towards the end of a game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

A month later, in the biggest game of his career, Burrow suffered a grade two knee MCL sprain. On Feb. 13, 2022, Burrow suffered the MCL sprain in the closing minutes of the Super Bowl against the Los Angeles Rams. The Bengals went on to lose the game narrowly.

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Joe Burrow's recent calf strain

Ahead of the 2023 season, Burrow suffered a leg calf strain on July 27. The highest-paid player in NFL history sustained a right calf strain while practising with his teammates.

He returned to training on Aug. 30 and hasn't missed a game due to the strain. However, Burrow reportedly re-aggravated the injury in the week two loss to Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens.