Bengals' Joe Burrow reportedly diagnosed with strained calf after being carted off field

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was carted away from Day 2 of training camp on Thursday with an apparent lower right leg injury. After the 26-year-old was evaluated, head coach Zac Taylor told reporters it was a calf injury.

ESPN's Dianna Russini later specified the injury to be a calf strain, while Sports Illustrated's James Rapien reported Burrow will miss time, but is "going to be fine."

Practice footage shows the quarterback grabbing his calf on the field after pulling up mid-stride. He appeared to already have the calf in a sleeve.

The specific details of the calf injury Burrow sustained were still unclear when Taylor spoke with reporters. His answers were pretty clipped, but he clarified that Burrow "felt good" ahead of practice and could have just been wearing the sleeve due to general soreness from Day 1.

"There's no message, this is football," Taylor said after he was asked what he would be telling the team. "Guys go down with an injury that maybe is a day thing, who knows? We don't message to the team after every single person goes down."

Burrow is entering his fourth year in the league and coming off an MVP-caliber season where he led the Bengals to the AFC North title.

Over his career he has completed 68.2% of passes for 11,774 yards, 82 touchdowns and 31 interceptions. In 2021, his 70.4% completion rate and 8.9 yards per attempt led the league.

He has a new contract looming, with Bengals president Mike Brown recently emphasizing that his extension would take precedence over deals with other players as the team approaches multiple negotiations.

Despite Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert's new mega-deal, business wasn't Burrows' priority. "I need these days to be my best," he said after a successful first day of training camp.

When Taylor was asked Thursday if he was concerned Burrow's injury might deter players from practicing amid money talks, he replied with an even "nope."

Two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, who becomes eligible for a new deal next year, told reporters he went over to speak to Burrow when he went down.

"We always give each other that nod," he said. "He gave me a nod he's all right. He's a strong dude."

Burrow suffered an ACL injury during the 2020 season. Last offseason, he had to have a ruptured appendix removed. Those issues aside, he hasn't missed any regular season playing time due to injuries in the past two seasons.