NFL analyst expects Bengals to receive “slap on the wrist” for Joe Burrow injury reporting

Joe Burrow suffered a devastating wrist injury on his throwing arm during the Cincinnati Bengals' Week 11 game against the Baltimore Ravens. Not only did it knock him out of the contest early, but it has reportedly ended his 2023 NFL season. Burrow apparently tore a ligament and will need an extensive recovery process.

In the aftermath of the injury, a video surfaced of Joe Burrow wearing some kind of splint or compression sleeve on that same wrist during a practice session leading up to the game. The catch is that the Bengals did not list their quarterback at all on the injury report.

If he was, in fact, injured previously and the team chose not to report it, they are in legitimate violation of the NFL rules related to injuries.

The franchise has denied having any knowledge of an injury prior to him suffering one during the game against the Ravens. The NFL is apparently investigating the situation and could potentially penalize them if it is found out that they knowingly withheld injury information.

Former linebacker and current NFL analyst Bart Scott recently commented on the situation during an episode of First Take.

"Like the way that life make them look white, right? Well, the grey area is on a short week. You don't have to practice. You pretty much do glorified walking the entire time. So, he doesn't have to throw the football the same way that he would throw the football typically in a game. So, if you don't miss any practice time or any plays, then this is the nuance.

"And why, as a team, would you keep this off the scouting report? Because, unlike hockey, where they just say lower body extremity or upper body extremity, they are specific in the NFL. And do you want to give your hated rival the information to say that my quarterback has a hurt wrist? You know, you don't want to do that because this is an advantage for the opponent, and then the opponent could take advantage of that."

Adding to his analysis, Scott opined that there is unlikely to be more than a minor censure of the Bengals.

"So, if I have an opportunity as the Cincinnati Bengals not to disclose an injury, everybody's getting treatment on various things. You don't report everything. And as players, we don't report everything that's hurting us to the team. So, they're going to investigate it, and I expect maybe a slap on the wrist. But, you know, it was a gray area with this because of the uniqueness of playing in a short week."

If the NFL determines that the Cincinnati Bengals are guilty of improperly leaving Joe Burrow off of their injury report, they may choose to penalize them. These types of penalties usually come in the form of fines and could also include forcing the franchise to surrender certain draft picks.

Regardless of what the NFL's investigation finds, the Bengals will have to go forward with the rest of the 2023 season without Joe Burrow. This obviously jeopardizes their goal of potentially getting back to the NFL Playoffs.

Who will replace Joe Burrow?

Joe Burrow and Jake Browning

When Joe Burrow exited the Cincinnati Bengals' Week 11 game against the Baltimore Ravens with a season-ending wrist injury, it was Jake Browning who replaced him.

It was his first opportunity to take meaningful snaps in an NFL game as he only had one career pass attempt previously. It's unclear if the Bengals will stick with Browning moving forward or explore the free-agent market for a potential replacement.