Why Joe Burrow’s Wrist Injury Is Being Investigated by the NFL
Joe Burrow Cooper Neill/Getty Images
A deleted video of Joe Burrow has football fans — and Us — confused.
According to ESPN, the NFL is investigating the Cincinnati Bengals for failing to list the 26-year-old quarterback on the team’s injury report for the Thursday, November 16, game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Burrow’s apparent wrist injury was first revealed in a video shared via X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, November 15. In the since-deleted clip, Burrow could be seen sporting what looked like a cast on his right arm.
Burrow started in Thursday’s game regardless, but he appeared to be in pain after completing a four-yard touchdown pass to running back Joe Mixon. Burrow left the game during the second quarter and did not return to the field.
The Ravens ultimately defeated the Bengals 34 to 20. Coach Zac Taylor addressed Burrow’s injury in a post-game press conference on Thursday.
“It looked like he sprained his wrist,” Taylor told reporters. “Fell on it early in the game and then felt it on the touchdown pass.”
When asked whether it was possible Burrow was injured before the game, Taylor responded, “Not that I’m aware of.”

Joe Burrow warms up before the start of the Bengals and Baltimore Ravens game on November 16, 2023 in Baltimore. Rob Carr/Getty Images
According to ESPN, the “NFL routinely looks into matters of compliance with its injury report policy” and “takes injury report violations seriously.” If a compliance issue is found after the NFL completes its investigation, the Bengals could be punished with a fine or the potential loss of a draft pick.
Burrow previously sparked concern before the 2023 NFL season when he suffered an injury during training camp in July.
Video footage shared by a local Cincinnati news outlet showed Burrow running across the field before he started hopping on one foot, signaling an apparent calf injury. He limped to the sidelines before rolling on to the ground and stretching out. Burrow’s teammates ran to his side as the team’s medical staff looked at his leg.
After the practice, Taylor confirmed that Burrow was, indeed, having a calf issue.
“I think a lot of guys after the first day have some soreness,” the coach shared at the time. “He was just scrambling. This is football. Guys go down with an injury. This could be a day thing, who knows? There’s a lot of guys that had soreness today that had their reps cut down a little bit. That’s just part of football in training camp.”
These are hardly Burrow’s only injuries since 2020 rookie year in the NFL. He was recovering from a torn ACL ahead of the 2021 season, and he missed the early days of training camp in 2022 after a surgery on his ruptured appendix.
Burrow has yet to speak publicly about his wrist injury or the NFL’s investigation.