Bengals QB Burrow questionable for MNF game

CINCINNATI — Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is questionable for Monday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams.

Coach Zac Taylor said Burrow could be a game-time decision as he continues to recover from a right calf injury that limited his practice availability through the week.

“We’ll see,” Taylor said. “It’s really day-to-day. We’ll have conversations and see where it goes.”

Burrow threw to receivers in a red zone drill during the portion of Saturday’s practice that was open to the media. Burrow, who had a compression sleeve on his right leg, practiced in some capacity for the second straight day. He was limited Friday after missing Thursday’s practice.

If Burrow can’t play, Jake Browning is in line to get his first career NFL start. He has been with Cincinnati’s practice squad since 2021 and won the backup quarterback job during training camp. Taylor said Browning’s self-confidence is a major reason for his current spot on the depth chart.

“That’s really shown this week because he’s had more opportunity this week than he’s had in the past,” Taylor said.

Browning, 27, played at the University of Washington from 2015 to 2018. He has thrown one pass in the NFL — an incompletion in Cincinnati’s Week 1 loss to the Cleveland Browns this season.

Cincinnati is looking to bolster its depth behind Browning. Trace McSorley and former Bengals quarterback AJ McCarron worked out with the team Saturday, and McCarron was signed to the practice squad later in the day.

McCarron, 33, was drafted by Cincinnati in the fifth round of the 2014 draft and was with the team for three seasons. His most recent year in the NFL was 2021, when he tore an ACL in the preseason while with the Atlanta Falcons.

He played for the XFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks in 2023, appearing in nine games and ranking second in the XFL in total passing yards (2,150) while throwing 24 touchdowns and six interceptions.

After his workout, McCarron chatted with Bengals offensive lineman Max Scharping and defensive tackle DJ Reader, who were his teammates with the Houston Texans. Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd, who played with McCarron during his first stint with the Bengals, welcomed the familiar face.

“Just to see him kind of spooked me at first because it was a long time,” Boyd said. “But I’m glad to see him.”

McCarron will likely take the role of the team’s No. 3 quarterback. Earlier in the week, the New England Patriots signed Will Grier off Cincinnati’s practice squad. Grier was replaced by Reid Sinnett, who was with the Bengals in training camp to provide depth while Burrow was out for several weeks with the strained calf.

The Bengals also listed tight end Irv Smith Jr. as doubtful for Monday’s game with a hamstring issue.