Joe Burrow is inching closer toward returning.
Though the Bengals aren't ready to declare Burrow as their Week 12 starter, the franchise quarterback will be listed as questionable on Cincinnati's Friday injury report, coach Zac Taylor told reporters Friday.
With the questionable designation, Cincinnati is preserving the chance of Burrow feeling good enough to take the field for Sunday's game against the New England Patriots without fully committing to it right now. The Bengals are comfortable with giving Burrow as much time as possible to ensure he's ready, and even if Cincinnati activates Burrow to the active roster by the 4 p.m. ET deadline on Saturday, it isn't a guarantee he'll play Sunday, Taylor explained.
Burrow has not seen live action since Week 2, a game in which he suffered a toe injury that required surgery and a lengthy journey back to the field. That process ended quicker than initially anticipated, with Cincinnati activating Burrow's 21-day return window on Nov. 10.
It seems he may not need the full 21 days to graduate to the active roster, a place the Bengals will happily (and desperately) welcome Burrow back to with their playoff hopes on life support as Thanksgiving nears.
Cincinnati has won just one game without Burrow in the starting lineup, a thrilling Week 7 triumph over the Pittsburgh Steelers in which 40-year-old Joe Flacco threw for 342 yards and three touchdowns in the 33-31 victory on Thursday Night Football. Otherwise, the Bengals are winless without Burrow, going 1-7 in the eight games played without him.
When he is activated, Burrow will return to familiar challenges. As they did in 2024, the Bengals have continued to fail defensively, losing two games in which they scored 35 or more points while allowing a league-worst 33.4 points per game in 2025.
Burrow's return will not fix the defense but could raise their offensive ceiling, which fell to a new low with Flacco in the lineup in their 34-12 loss to the Steelers in Week 11. At this point, Burrow might represent Cincinnati's only remaining hope of salvaging the 2025 season. We'll see if he's able to play against the red-hot Patriots on Sunday, or if Cincinnati will have to wait one more week before welcoming him back.
