Bengals’ Joe Burrow will play Monday vs. Rams: Sources

The Athletic has live coverage of Eagles vs. Buccaneers and Rams vs. Bengals  on Monday Night Football.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, who’s been dealing with a lingering calf issue, will play Monday night against the Los Angeles Rams, according to league sources. Here’s what you need to know:

• Burrow will still go through a pre-game workout to check out the calf.
• Earlier Monday, there was optimism Burrow would play and his status for Monday night’s game against the Rams was trending in the right direction, per sources.
• Burrow re-injured his calf at the end of Cincinnati’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 17.

Backstory

Burrow first injured his right calf in a team practice on July 27. He sat out multiple weeks with the injury before returning to practice on Aug. 30.

The Bengals started the season 0-2, with Burrow throwing for only 82 yards in the season opener against the Cleveland Browns. Cincinnati then lost 27-24 to the Ravens in Week 2, when Burrow tweaked his calf again.

“Soreness is an issue right now,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said about Burrow’s injury ahead of Thursday’s practice. “So giving him some time is best. That’s all I’ll say about today.”

Burrow, who didn’t practice in full Thursday, was listed as a non-participant on the practice report. Taylor admitted it would be “ideal” to have Burrow practice at some point before Monday’s game, but the team is monitoring his progress day to day.

With Burrow’s status in limbo, the Bengals signed quarterback AJ McCarron to the practice squad, the team announced Saturday.

Burrow, the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, is eligible for a contract extension this offseason.

Required reading

(Photo: Dylan Buell / Getty Images)