The Cincinnati Bengals have been without superstar quarterback Joe Burrow since September 14th, 2025. Burrow suffered a Grade 3 turf toe injury that day against the Jacksonville Jaguars. This led to Burrow being moved to the injured reserve list.
On Monday, November 10th, the signal caller returned to practice in a limited capacity. This started the 21-day window for the Bengals to decide if he can return to action this season whatsoever.
GettyEAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – OCTOBER 13: Joe Burrow #9 of the Cincinnati Bengals reacts with Ja’Marr Chase #1 of the Cincinnati Bengals during the first half against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on October 13, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NFL on CBS Sports’ John Breech chimed in on the matter of the timing of Burrow’s potential return to the football field. He mentions the Bengals’ Thanksgiving Day matchup in Week 13 against the Baltimore Ravens:
“This is the game you should circle on your calendar, because this is the game Burrow appears to be targeting for a possible return. This AFC North showdown is being played on Thanksgiving (Nov. 27) and based on what Burrow had to say on Monday, he would really like to be on the field. The Bengals QB gave a one-word answer when asked how meaningful it would be for him to return against the Ravens in this prime time game.
‘Very,’ Burrow said.”
NFL on CBS Sports’ John Breech on Joe Burrow potentially returning on Thanksgiving Day against the Baltimore Ravens
Joe Burrow returning against the Baltimore Ravens would obviously be a huge deal. It’s hard to disagree with Breech’s sentiment about it being “must-see TV” if this is the case. A Thanksgiving Day AFC North showdown between Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow has all the ingredients to be absolutely electric.
GettyJoe Burrow #9 of the Cincinnati Bengals celebrates a touchdown with Ja’Marr Chase #1 and Tee Higgins #5 against the New York Giants.
Breech brings up another possible return date if Burrow’s toe isn’t ready for a Thanksgiving meal with their heated-rival Baltimore Ravens:
“If Burrow isn’t feeling comfortable enough to return in Week 13 against the Ravens, he could hold off one week and return against the Bills on Dec. 7. In this instance, the Bengals could use their full 21-day practice window and then activate Burrow on Dec. 1, which would be the week of this game.”
This would also make sense. If the toe isn’t ready to go, a mini-bye week to get to Week 14 could very much be utilized for Burrow’s recovery. He will be returning in a major spot either way. A return against Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen during the playoff push is quite the time to make a return.
The Bengals have to stay afloat regardless if they want it to matter if Burrow returns. Burrow himself commented on this:
“Our division is wide open. Pittsburgh is 5-4 and we play them this week. Everything is still there in front of us. It’s very rare that our division looks like this, but it does this year. And so I think we’ll be at least in it until the end.”
Joe Burrow on the Bengals staying alive in the playoff race until his return
An honest appraisal of the situation at Bears slot cornerback came from Ben Johnson following
Or was it an extremely lightly veiled message about their secondary personnel? Or both?
Gardner-Johnson produced two more sacks and the game-changing forced fumble against the Giants while Kyler Gordon missed his third game on injured reserve. He is eligible to come off of IR after four games, if his injured groin has healed.
“I haven’t been around Kyler a whole lot yet,” Johnson said. “He’s been dinged up, so I can’t speak to that.”
Ouch. It couldn’t have been a good thing to hear for Gordon, who got a contract extension at $13 million a year prior to this season.
“But, listen, I love what C.J. brings to the table right now. You feel him out there,” Ben Johnson said. “He’s a football player. He loves to be competing. He finds himself around the ball quite a bit. I think we all appreciate that.”
Johnson’s knack for big plays haven’t quite been equaled in pass coverage. Turnovers are a great deodorizer. Three sacks don’t hurt. Gardner-Johnson’s passer rating against when targeted isn’t impressive at 109.5 in the two games but Gordon’s was a disastrous 147.1.
Then again, you’re dealing with such a small sample size, but there’s the problem.
Ben Johnson really hasn’t been around Gordon much. He has played fewer snaps on defense this year (81) than Gardner-Johnson (112), and Gardner-Johnson started the year in Houston, then was on Baltimore’s practice squad.
A coach can only go by what they’re seeing on the field. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has been around Gardner-Johnson a lot more than he has been able to familiarize himself with the play of Gordon.
What happens when Gordon returns?
They’d like to know he truly is healthy before this happens as he was out four games to start the season.
Picking up sacks on slot blitzes shouldn’t be marginalized. Nor is that a slot cornerback’s primary function. Getting the job done in coverage is the goal, and the analytics say neither did that really well this year. It isn’t an easy job when Allen likes to blitz so much, but what the Bears do know about both players is they’re versatile.
Gardner-Johnson’s best years might have been with the Eagles playing safety rather than playing slot cornerback for Johnson in New Orleans. He has played outside cornerback a little. Gordon, in 2022 as a rookie and even as recently as 2023, played some on the outside.
Gordon was probably better on the outside than Gardner-Johnson based on the amount of reps both took outside, but it’s difficult to determine.
If the Bears put Gordon outside in place of Nahshon Wright, it could strengthen the coverage. In Wright’s defense, this has been his first real opportunity to play longer term as a starter. In his first four seasons, he got in for exactly half as many total plays (269) on defense as he has had in this season alone (538).
Wright hasn’t been terrible, although Pro Football Focus doesn’t think much of his play because they grade him 90th of 109 NFL cornerbacks. He’s had a few really poor games mixed in with average play, but his passer rating against is a solid 87.2 according to Stathead/Pro Football Reference. PFF puts it at a worse level of 96.1, but still not a problem.
Either way, the Bears can’t be elated with his play. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have displayed trade interest in New Orleans’ Alontae Taylor, as NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported. Nor would they have brought Asante Samuel Jr. in for a look before he signed with Pittsburgh.
Whether they would be better with Gordon moving out to right cornerback remains to be seen. When he was playing outside in the past, it was usually on the defense’s left side before they had Tyrique Stevenson.
It’s a mix they’ll need to get a better feel for when Gordon returns. It is going to happen eventually, possibly as soon as after the Vikings game, when they’re preparing to face Aaron Rodgers.
Ultimately, the deciding factor for who plays slot cornerback could be the Bears pass rush and not their secondary. With three sacks in two weeks, they might be better off keeping Gardner-Johnson in the slot and blitzing because Montez Sweat can use the help. The other pass rushers aren’t providing much.