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          Bengals add Joe Burrow to active roster ahead of return

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          Saturday: If Burrow is healthy, he should play (1:09)

          Jeff Saturday says the Bengals shouldn't sit a healthy Joe Burrow even if the playoffs are out of reach. (1:09)

          • Ben BabyNov 26, 2025, 03:38 PM ET
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              Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN's NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor's degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).
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          BALTIMORE -- The final step has been cleared for Joe Burrow to make his return.

          The Cincinnati Bengals quarterback was added to the 53-player roster on Wednesday, the team announced, ahead of Thursday night's game against the Baltimore Ravens.

          Burrow has been on injured reserve since suffering a turf toe injury on Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

          The two-time Pro Bowler and 2024 MVP finalist was designated to return from injured reserve on Nov. 10. The team had to activate him before his 21-day window expired on Dec. 1. Otherwise, he would not have been able to play again this season.

          But that was never in jeopardy. The move was considered a formality given another week for Burrow without any setbacks.

          "It's a national stage to go out and prove yourself again after not playing for several weeks," Burrow said Tuesday. "Every opportunity that you get to go and all the hard work that you've put in the type of player you are, is something that I try to take advantage of."

          Initially, Burrow had a 12-week timeline to recover from surgery to repair the big toe on his left foot. Burrow was aggressive in his recovery process and pushed to come back for the team's Week 12 game against the New England Patriots.

          Burrow was a full participant for the first two days of practice last week.

          However, Bengals coach Zac Taylor opted to start Joe Flacco and rest Burrow for a few more days, especially with Cincinnati playing two games in five days.

          Burrow agreed with Taylor's decision and said the accelerated timeline helped him prepare for Baltimore (6-5).

          "It felt good to get some live reps, both scout team and first team," Burrow said Tuesday. "I think that'll serve me well this week.

          "Having a full week where you're expecting to play and you're going through your preparation like you're going to play and then that doesn't happen, but it's good to have that under your belt."

          To make room for Burrow, the Bengals waived quarterback Sean Clifford, who had been the emergency third quarterback as Flacco dealt with a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder in recent weeks. Clifford cleared waivers and is back on the practice squad. Flacco will be the backup quarterback, while Jake Browning will be the reserve on the 53-player roster.

          The Bengals (3-8) have lost four straight games and have a 1% chance of making the playoffs, per ESPN Analytics.