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With Joe Burrow questionable to play in Week 2 due to a back injury, the Bengals have elevated Josh Johnson from the practice squad to the active roster
The Cincinnati Bengals picked up a big 33-27 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1, and now they’ll aim to push their record to 2-0 in Week 2. Taking down a tough Houston Texans team will be easier said than done, but if the Bengals are firing on all cylinders, they should at least have a fighting shot of coming out on top.
One of the big storylines heading into this game, though, is star quarterback Joe Burrow‘s injury status. While Burrow has said throughout the week that he is going to suit up on Sunday, the team has listed him as questionable on Friday, which has fans a bit on edge ahead of kickoff. Now, Cincy has made an eye-opening roster move at the quarterback position that further indicates Burrow may not exactly be a sure thing to play against Houston.
Bengals Elevate Josh Johnson From Practice Squad to Active Roster
Burrow turned in a strong outing to begin the regular season (25/35, 254 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT), as he capitalized on the Bengals’ defense forcing four turnovers throughout the game. However, Burrow suffered a back injury during the action, which led to him missing time on the practice field throughout the week.
On the surface, there’s never been any indication that Burrow could miss this game, but Cincinnati’s moves continue to paint a murkier picture. Not only is Burrow questionable to play in this game, but the team has now added another quarterback to its roster in the event he can’t play.
That new quarterback would be the veteran Josh Johnson, who is the No. 3 option behind Burrow and Joe Flacco. While the team is still expressing confidence in Burrow’s ability to play on Sunday, it has elevated Johnson from the practice squad to the active roster as an extra layer of depth.
We have elevated LB Joe Giles-Harris and QB Josh Johnson from the practice squad to the active roster for CIN @ HOU,” the team announced in a post on X.
Could Bengals Actually Be Without Joe Burrow in Week 2?
GettyThe Bengals are listing Joe Burrow as questionable for their Week 2 action with a back injury
Burrow’s status has become a bit confusing. While the Bengals insist he will play, they continue to make moves that indicate he may not actually be on the field once this game gets underway. You can obviously never be too safe at the quarterback position, but if Burrow was 100% good to go, he’d be off the injury report, and Johnson would still be on the practice squad.
There’s not necessarily any reason to panic just yet, but Burrow’s status will be well worth watching ahead of kickoff. It would still be a fairly big surprise if he doesn’t play, but Cincinnati has protected itself in the event things go awry. A definitive update on Burrow’s status will come out 90 minutes before kickoff when the team shares its inactives list for the game.
Owen Crisafulli Owen Crisafulli is an Email Newsletter Editor & Breaking News Writer at Heavy Sports. His work has also appeared on ClutchPoints, Sports Illustrated, The Sporting News, Athlon Sports, NESN Basketball Network, and FanSided, where he shared his insights on a variety of sports topics primarily surrounding the NFL, NBA, and MLB. More about Owen Crisafulli