ESPN’s Ryan Clark joked Joe Burrow would need to “play free safety” to fix the Cincinnati Bengals’ defense amid a lost 2025 season.

Joe Burrow returned to practice in a limited capacity on Monday, less than two months after the Bengals placed their Pro Bowl quarterback on injured reserve with turf toe. The Bengals opened Burrow's 21-day window to be activated off of injured reserve. During this period, Burrow can practice without counting against Cincinnati's 53-man roster.

CINCINNATI — Joe Burrow returned to practice with the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday, opening the 21-day window for the franchise quarterback to return to the lineup. His practice time will not count against the 53-player active roster. Burrow is eligible to be activated during the three-week window.

Bengals Ja'Marr Chase takes the ball down the field during their game against the Bears at Paycor Stadium on Sunday November 2, 2025. The Bears won the game with a final score of 47-42. / Phil Didion/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Bengals QB Joe Burrow, who hasn't played since Week 2 after having foot surgery, returned to practice Monday and hopes to take the field against the Ravens on Nov. 27.

Cincinnati.com analyzed the play of the organization's seven-member 2025 rookie class (six are draft picks) in order to help contextualize where the team is erring even as the offense continues to deliver in the absence of Joe Burrow and with 40-year-old Joe Flacco at starting quarterback.

The Cincinnati Bengals have announced that franchise quarterback Joe Burrow will return to practice on Nov. 10. This marks a significant step in Burrow's journey back to the field after suffering a Grade 3 turf toe injury that required surgery in late September. This is a breaking news story and The Enquirer will update this story.

Hendrickson re-aggravated a hip injury before the bye week, so the Bengals might be taking an exceedingly precautionary route in order to avoid another setback to a nagging issue.