Bengals QB Joe Burrow Out for Season with Torn Ligament

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow will miss the rest of the 2023 season after tearing a ligament in his wrist, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said on Friday.

Burrow left the Bengals’ game on Thursday night against the Baltimore Ravens after throwing a touchdown pass to Joe Mixon in the first half. The Bengals initially ruled Burrow as questionable to return and then later downgraded him to out for the remainder of the game with a right wrist sprain.

An MRI on Friday revealed the structural damage that will force Burrow to the sideline for the remainder of the 2023 season.

Cincinnati’s first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft out of LSU, Burrow won NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 2021 and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2022.

Burrow had completed 244 of 365 passes for 2,309 yards, 15 touchdowns, six interceptions and a 91.0 passer rating before the injury this season. 

He dealt with a calf injury from training camp that limited him in the early going of 2023. Burrow had a 100.8 passer rating in 2022 and a 108.3 rating in 2021, as the Bengals made it all the way to the Super Bowl.

With Burrow out, the Bengals will likely turn to Jake Browning, who is the only other quarterback on their roster. The 27-year-old has been in the NFL since 2019, but appeared in his second game and completed his first career pass in relief of Burrow on Thursday.

Browning finished by completing 8 of 14 for 68 yards and a garbage-time touchdown pass to Jamar Chase. He was sacked three times and ran four times for 40 yards.

Veteran backup A.J. McCarron is on Cincinnati’s practice squad. McCarron played in 17 games with the Bengals, Oakland Raiders and Houston Texans from 2015-20, but hasn’t been in the NFL since 2021. He played with the St. Louis BattleHawks of the XFL this spring.

The NFL is investigating whether the Bengals violated the league’s injury reporting rules by not disclosing that Burrow was dealing with an injury coming into Thursday night’s game. Video from Wednesday has since emerged that showed Burrow with a brace on his right wrist.

Cincinnati lost the game with the Ravens, 34-20 and fell to 5-5, last place in the AFC North. The Steelers will visit the Bengals in Week 12.