Cincinnati Bengals superstar quarterback Joe Burrow has been sidelined for the rest of the season due to a wrist injury. To reflect his unavailability, the team placed him on injured reserve on Saturday.
Jake Browning has stepped in as the quarterback and is expected to start for the remainder of the season, with AJ McCarron as his backup in the upcoming game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Browning’s entry came during the Bengals’ 34-20 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 11. Notably, he went undrafted out of Washington in 2019 and was initially signed by the Minnesota Vikings before joining Cincinnati. Prior to his relief appearance against Baltimore, the 27-year-old had only thrown one incomplete pass in the Bengals’ 2023 season opener. Against the Ravens, he recorded 68 passing yards.
Burrow’s injury, initially considered a sprained wrist, was later diagnosed as a torn wrist ligament. Last week, head coach Zac Taylor informed reporters that the injury necessitates season-ending surgery.
In the 2023 season, Burrow completed 66.8 percent of his passes for 2,309 yards, with 15 touchdowns and six interceptions in 10 games. He had inked a five-year extension valued at $275 million in September and is anticipated to make a full recovery in preparation for the next season.
Meanwhile, Browning and McCarron will be the Bengals’ signal callers. McCarron last played in an NFL game in January 2021 and sustained an ACL injury in 2021, followed by a stint with the XFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks earlier this year.
In tandem with promoting McCarron from the practice squad, the Bengals activated running back Chase Brown from injured reserve. Brown, a rookie, re-enters the 53-man roster after enduring a hamstring injury in October, during which he was primarily utilized on special teams, recording three catches for seven yards and two carries for six yards this season.
