Joe Burrow injury update: NFL insider gives latest on Bengals QB timeline

Nine weeks after suffering a turf toe injury that completely derailed his season, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow returned to practice on Monday. While Burrow won’t be suiting up this Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he is making steps to reportedly return for the Bengals’ Thanksgiving matchup against the Baltimore Ravens.

NFL Insider Jordan Schultz provided the latest on Burrow’s timeline, even revealing why the organization really decided to hold onto All-Pro defensive end Trey Hendrickson at the Trade Deadline.

“Joe Burrow has officially returned to practice with the Bengals opening his 21 day window to return from IR and his turf toe injury,” Schultz said. “Joe is targeting a Thanksgiving Day comeback game to go up against the Baltimore Ravens in Baltimore. Now listen, this is surprising. This is incredibly early. Not only because of the caliber of injury, but just the timeline we all thought, which was basically mid-December.”

“So Burrow is way ahead of schedule and with that in mind, it gives us a real look under the hood as to why the Bengals were so hesitant to trade Trey Hendrickson, knowing full well that he’s probably on his way out after this season when he’s a free agent. If you’re the Bengals in the very rugged, but very winnable AFC North, and you get Burrow back by Thanksgiving or right around that day, you’ll absolutely have an opportunity to make a playoff push.”

Joe Burrow is targeting a Week 13 or Week 14 return, which has given the Bengals some real juice and excitement inside the building — and helps explain why they chose not to trade Trey Hendrickson. pic.twitter.com/0ZxsZTp3sJ

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) November 12, 2025

Jake Browning and Joe Flacco have filled in for Burrow this season

Burrow, who is in the midst of his sixth NFL season, suffered the turf toe injury in week two’s 31-27 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Cincinnati. The former No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft is coming off a phenomenal 2024 campaign, in which he passed for 4,198 yards, 43 touchdowns, and was named Comeback Player of the Year for the second time. Prior to his injury this year, Burrow passed for 189 yards and two touchdowns in six quarters of play.

Due to Burrow’s absence, the Bengals initially turned to back-up quarterback Jake Browning at the position. With Browning as its starter, Cincinnati dropped four consecutive games to drop to 2-4 on the season. They then traded for former Super Bowl Champion Joe Flacco to take over the position, which quickly turned into a 33-31 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football.

Although the Bengals would score 39 points and 47 points in their next two games with Flacco at the helm, both games were lost due to poor defense. It appears now that Flacco will lead the organization into its upcoming games against the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots before Burrow returns for the aforementioned Thanksgiving game.