As the weather turns toward winter in Ohio, a shining ray of light is peeking through the clouds.
Two months after suffering a Grade 3 turf toe injury that required surgery, Joe Burrow has been cleared for a limited return to practice, the Bengals announced Monday.
Burrow remains on injured reserve, but the Bengals opening his practice window means he has 21 days to be activated. A December return for Cincinnati's franchise quarterback is now in play. Burrow was given an initial recovery timeline of three months in early September.
"I think he's ready for this part of the recovery, to come back on a limited basis and progress it on the field with the players," Bengals coach Zac Taylor said Monday. "I think he's [at] a good point.
"Internally, this was always a good timeline for us. He's worked really hard to get to this point, to get back on the field in a limited form. So I'm excited to get him out there."
Taylor added Burrow is not expected to play in Cincinnati's Week 11 game against the 5-4 Steelers, which stands as an important game in the AFC North race for the 3-6 Bengals.
"We'll see. We'll see how these next couple of weeks go. We'll see how it feels," Burrow told reporters on Monday when asked if Cincy's place in the standings would impact his comeback. "We'll make a good decision when the time comes.
"We have 21 days to figure that out. Could be early, could be late in that window. We are still pretty early post-surgery for this injury, so we have a couple of weeks of practice to figure that out and see how it goes."
Burrow added that it would be meaningful to be able to play in the Bengals' Thanksgiving Day game against the Ravens on Nov. 27.
Burrow suffered the toe injury in the Bengals' Week 2 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, forcing backup Jake Browning into action in a nerve-wracking early September contest that saw Cincinnati improve to 2-0 for the first time under Taylor. The victory represented an achievement for the Bengals but at the cost of Burrow, whose absence sent the Bengals into a temporary tailspin and eventually drove de facto general manager Duke Tobin to swing a deal for 40-year-old signal-caller Joe Flacco on Oct. 7.
Flacco's arrival both stabilized and revived Cincinnati's offense. Since replacing Browning, the Bengals have averaged 32.75 points per game, a total that would suggest they've returned to their winning ways even without Burrow.
That, of course, is not the case with these Bengals, whose defense has cratered over the same stretch. Cincinnati is allowing an average of 36 points per game and owns a 1-3 with Flacco in the starting lineup.
Burrow can't suit up and trot out with the defense, but news of his looming return will undoubtedly inspire those searching for a reason to believe the Bengals (3-6) can still make something out of the 2025 season. With games against Pittsburgh, New England and Baltimore up next, Cincinnati will be challenged weekly before Burrow is ready to play.
Hopefully, they can keep the ship afloat long enough to see their captain return.
