Will Joe Burrow be back from injury in time for the Bengals' Week 1 matchup against the Browns? Ja'Marr Chase doesn't want him pushing to be.
Watching Joe Burrow go down with an injury during training camp was the worst nightmare for Bengals fans. The good news is they woke up quickly from that bad dream. Yes, Burrow suffered a calf strain, but it was not serious.
The official word is that Burrow will miss most of the preseason. The more pressing question is whether or not he'll be healthy in time to play in Week 1 against the Browns.
For Ja'Marr Chase, his outstanding pass-catching target, the answer should probably be "no."
"I told him with all honesty I don't want him there," Chase said surprisingly.
But he had good reason: "I sat out an extra game [last season] just to let my hip all the way heal up. You don't want to cause no other problems later on in the season. I told him, as long as you're there after Week 5 and on we're good brother."
How did Burrow respond to that?
"He just told me he's going to see how he feels when the time comes. He doesn't know when he'll be back but he'll be back soon," Chase said.
Ja'Marr Chase: Joe Burrow shouldn't rush back from injury
Chase has a point, one that Browns fans specifically may be happy to hear since they're Cincinnati's Week 1 opponent. Burrow is too valuable to the Bengals to risk aggravating an injury by playing on it too quickly.
The best course of action is to let the calf heal fully, even if that means missing a game or two, as hard as that may be to stomach for a gamer like Burrow.
It might be easier if the Bengals had a more inspiring backup situation. Trevor Siemian, who joined Cincinnati as a free agent in May, has lost the last six starts he's made. He hasn't won a game as a starting quarterback since 2017.
If the Bengals want to play it safe with Burrow, he may get a chance to turn that streak around while trying to keep a Super Bowl contender on track.
