All may not be lost for Bengals fans.
Joe Burrow gave Ja’Marr Chase a sign on Thursday as the quarterback was being carted off the practice field with a non-contact calf injury — one that raised alarm bells for Cincinnati fans.
“We always give each other that nod,” Chase told The Athletic after practice. “He gave me a nod [to say] he’s all right. He’s a strong dude.”
Despite the alarming scene, the wideout didn’t think it was anything serious.
“I wasn’t really worried,” Chase said. “I believe he’s all right.”
Bengals coach Zac Taylor told reporters it was simply a calf strain, though he he was awaiting official word of the injury.
“We don’t have any information yet,” he said. “This is football, guys go down with an injury that maybe is a day thing, who knows. We don’t message the team after a single person goes down. There’s a lot of guys who had soreness today that had reps cut down. That’s just part of football training.”
A serious injury to Burrow would unquestionably change the course of the Bengals’ 2023 season.
The 26-year-old led Cincinnati to a 12-4 record last season and an AFC Conference Championship berth, throwing for 4,475 yards and 35 touchdowns.
Burrow had previously led the Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance during the 2021-2022 season, in which they lost to the Rams 23-20.
Still, there was little concern among Bengals players that Burrow’s injury would be a problem.
“I’m not the expert here, but my gut says Joe will be OK,” center Ted Karras said.
Burrow was wearing a sleeve on his right calf during Thursday’s practice before the injury.
“I’m not going to talk about another player’s injuries, but I know about calf strains all too well, and they are painful but aren’t the end of the world,” defensive end Sam Hubbard said. “They do linger a bit, but I think the training staff and Joe are going to do the right thing and to take care of this early in camp and be ready to go.”
Burrow is entering negotiations for a new contract extension that seems likely to land him among the league’s top-paid players.