Joe Burrow carted off at Bengals practice due to calf injury; Cincinnati 2023 NFL futures odds, Burrow season props off board at sportsbooks
The Cincinnati Bengals are holding their breath on the status of QB Joe Burrow.
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Joe Burrow has completely changed the moribund Cincinnati Bengals franchise. They had four straight losing seasons before he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, and now they are annual Super Bowl contenders and Burrow is a top-five quarterback in the league. The former Heisman Trophy winner was carted off at training camp practice today with a non-contact injury, but the early word is that he's dealing with a calf strain and not a serious knee injury like the one Burrow suffered in his shortened rookie campaign.
Burrow has played 16 regular-season games in each of the past two seasons. Remember, last year's huge Week 17 Monday night game in Cincinnati vs. Buffalo was canceled due to the Damar Hamlin health scare, and the Bengals didn't need Burrow in Week 18 in 2021 with their playoff seed clinched. So he hasn't missed a game due to injury since 2020.
In the post-practice press conference today, Bengals coach Zac Taylor told reporters that Burrow suffered a calf strain, which is much better than many alternatives, but he's still expected to miss time and perhaps not play at all in the preseason. Then again, Burrow might not have seen exhibition action regardless because he didn't last year. Taylor is from the Sean McVay coaching tree, and McVay loves to sit his star players in the preseason. More and more coaches are following suit.
Dr. Selene Parekh, an Orthopedic surgeon and co-owner of The Fantasy Doctors website, tweeted in response to the injury: "Looks like a calf strain. Problem is these can linger. Given the start of camp, not optimal conditioning yet, and the heat and fatigue, these are all the perfect recipe for these strains. Expect an MRI. Hopefully not more serious like an Achilles tear."
This is why NFL players hold out to get long-term contract -- to have financial protection against serious injury. The Bengals have said they fully expect to sign Burrow to an extension this offseason and make him the highest-paid player in the league. That honor currently belongs to Justin Herbert, Burrow's draft-class mate who just got a five-year, $262.5 million extension. The way the NFL works, Burrow would then get a bit more than that.
Needless to say, most futures and props regarding Burrow individually or the Bengals have been taken off the board at sportsbooks until there's some clarity. At BetMGM, Burrow (+600) had passed two-time winner Patrick Mahomes (+650) as the 2023 MVP favorite yesterday. The Bengals were -2.5 for Week 1 in Cleveland, a team that has given Burrow fits in his young career as noted by his 1-4 record and 91.5 rating against the Browns.
Below are is the SL Model's sims if Burrow were to miss the season and Trevor Siemian is the team's starting QB:
| CINCINNATI | WINS | WIN% | DIVISION | PLAYOFF | CONF | CHAMP |
| BURROW 100% | 10.1 | 59.40% | 41.30% | 67.90% | 12.20% | 6.40% |
| BURROW OUT | 7.8 | 45.90% | 11.10% | 25.20% | 2.40% | 1.10% |
| Difference | -2.3 | -13.50% | -30.20% | -42.70% | -9.80% | -5.30% |
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