Bengals Beat: Zac Taylor Says Joe Burrow Has ‘Done Everything He Can’ To Be Ready, But No Decision Has Been Made

CINCINNATI — Still no official word on whether Joe Burrow will return Sunday against the Patriots.

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said Friday after practice that the team is taking all the time allowed to make the decision before Saturday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline for activating in time for Sunday’s game. Burrow was limited on Friday after being a full participant on Wednesday and Thursday, splitting first-team reps with Joe Flacco.

“I think Joe’s done everything he can to put himself in a position to get back,” Taylor said. “And we’re just gonna keep taking our time on this one. So no decision has been made.”

Perhaps the biggest point to consider with Burrow returning to play is whether the Bengals want him to play twice in five days returning from significant toe surgery about a month ahead of schedule. Allowing Burrow to go full 11-on-11s this week with first-team reps ramps him up to be ready for the Ravens on a short week when there’s is typically no full practices, only walkthroughs. This would point to Burrow not playing Sunday but being ready for the Ravens on Thanksgiving night, which was thought to be a possibility all along.

“So again, I feel comfortable waiting as long as we can to make this decision, because he’s coming back from IR,” Taylor added. “I think Joe’s done everything he can to put himself in a position to get back. And we’re just gonna keep taking our time on this one. So no decision has been made.

“I’ve got to make that decision. So again, we’ll just, we’ll take the time we’ve got assess all the practice we’ve got this week he’s done everything he can to try to put himself (in a position to play) get ready to go. And now I got to make a decision.”

Taylor realizes the difficulty in balancing Burrow’s desire to return with the organization’s desire to protect its biggest asset coming off an injury in Week 2 that necessitated surgery.

“It’s hard. I mean, that’s my job. Yeah, that’s my job,” Taylor added. “His job is to focus on getting himself ready to play game, and I have to balance all the other stuff. That’s where it’s at.

“There’s a lot to balance. I mean, he comes back, he’s done everything he can. He looks great. He looks healthy. You expect it to respond great when he’s out there getting tackled, you don’t know. So every day that you can take matters with any injury, two games in five days, you have to count for that. You have to take that all into consideration.”

The team has been closely monitoring Burrow’s response from full workloads on Wednesday and Thursday to make sure there have been no setbacks.

“I think he’s in good shape,” Taylor said. “I think he’s done all that. He’d have to better answer that than I could on how he feels. But I mean, you saw him, he was throwing today. He looks good. We’ve just got to make decision. I think it’s important. Winning is important. Obviously, he is who he is, and he gives us an outstanding chance to win games. And I think for his own, he wants to play football. He’s a football player. That’s what he wants to be also.”

In addition to his health, Taylor has been keeping a close eye on the way Burrow carries himself on the field and in the building, looking for any clues.

“Sometimes I think I’m a great body language reader, and sometimes maybe I’m not,” Taylor said. “It’s very conversational. It’s very much like me and any of you having a conversation. Me letting him know about my concerns, just full transparency. That’s what every conversation has been that we’ve had for over a week – just full transparency. We’re at that place where I’m going to tell you everything I think, the pros, the cons, and I want to hear the same from you. He’s done a great job communicating. We’re totally on the same page.”

In the end, Zac Taylor has been tasked – as the head coach – with making the final decision on the most important player.

“Yep. I view it as very important,” Taylor said. “I have to take into account what I think is best for him. He’s coming back off an injury. He’s been out for a long time. I know he’s of the right mindset and has done everything physically, and then I have to take into account what’s the best thing for him, what’s the best thing for our team and make the soundest decision.

“But the whole point is you’re putting him in there when you feel like he’s fully ready to go and can handle the full game load. Because you never know what situation is gonna come up in a game or put you in a situation where your quarterback’s got to be able to operate. So I think that all factors into the decision.”

NOTES:
Trey Hendrickson has been ruled out again this weekend while Samaje Perine is doubtful with an ankle injury. Tight end Mike Gesicki and safety Daijahn Anthony, both of whom return to practice this week from the injured list, are listed as questionable to play Sunday.