Bengals: Please stop trying to send Joe Burrow your calf muscles

CINCINNATI — Everyone calm down! Joe Burrow is going to be fine, according to the Bengals.

The beloved QB was carted off the field Thursday afternoon because of a strained calf, according to multiple reports.

Video captured by WCPO shows Burrow hopping on one leg after an apparent injury while scrambling during 11-on-11. He drops to the ground, holding his right leg.

Coaches and fellow players walk over to him. Burrow is then carted off the field. While leaving, he could be seen giving a "thumbs up" to someone. ESPN NFL reporter Dianna Russini tweeted that sources with the Bengals confirmed Burrow is dealing with a strained calf.

Friday morning the Bengals said "Joey B will be back!"

They poked fun at the incident writing on Instagram and Twitter, "please stop calling and offering us your calf muscles... it doesn't work like that."

Fans waiting outside the practice saw Burrow being carted to the locker room, hearing someone say over a walkie-talkie that the 26-year-old needed medical attention.

"It wasn't a good feeling at all, " one fan said. "He's our number one quarterback and we all support him 100%."

Burrow already had a sleeve on his leg during practice, but coach Zac Taylor said he was feeling good throughout the day. When asked if the message was to not panic, Taylor said, "Sure."

"This is football — guys go down with an injury that maybe is a (day-to-day) thing, who knows," Taylor added.

It's clear that fans on social media are no longer panicking. Many responded to the team's social media post with their own memes about Burrow and his calf.

The team has not said how long this will keep Burrow from the training camp. Players will be back out on the field Friday at 2 p.m. for practice.

Burrow recently told reporters he was excited about where the team is as training camp starts. While it may be his fourth year in the NFL, 2023 marked Burrow's first "normal" training camp after COVID-19, an injury and an emergency appendectomy impacted previous seasons.

"I feel great," he said Wednesday. "This time last year I was sitting in a hospital bed a couple of days post-surgery, so it's good to be out there with the guys."

This comes as the team works to reach a deal in the QB's new contract.

The team had hoped to reach a long-term deal with the franchise quarterback that could make him one of the NFL's highest-paid players. But negotiations have run into training camp while other star quarterbacks have inked rich extensions.

Burrow said the fact that the process has run into training camp won't be a distraction for him.

“I'm able to hyper-focus on a lot of different things at different times,” Burrow said. “And when it's time for one, I can completely focus on that and forget about everything else.”

The 26-year-old Burrow led the Bengals to a Super Bowl after the 2021 season, a 23-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

Last season, Cincinnati finished 12-4, winning the AFC North for the second straight year, with Burrow setting franchise single-season records for completions, pass attempts and passing touchdowns.

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