The Cleveland Browns are set to face off against the Cincinnati Bengals to open up the season, and if it was up to Ja’Marr Chase, quarterback Joe Burrow will not be on the field.
Burrow is dealing with a calf strain that he suffered at the start of training camp and the Bengals said he’d miss a few weeks, offering no definitive timeline for a return. Chase doesn’t want Burrow to rush back and have the injury linger later in the season.
“I told him, in all honesty, I don’t want him there,” Chase said told Andrew Siciliano of NFL Network. “I sat out an extra game just to let my hip heal all the way up. You don’t want to cause problems later in the season. As long as you’re there after Week 5 and on, we’re good, brother.”
Joe Burrow is playing Week 1, right?
“I told him, that with all honesty, I don’t want him there.”
Chase shared that Burrow is uncertain of when he’ll be ready to return.
“He told me he’s going to see how he feels when the time comes. He doesn’t know when he’ll be back, but he’ll be back soon,” Chase said.
Browns Start Season With Flurry of AFC North Matchups
The Browns will see all three of their AFC North rivals within the first four weeks of the season. Considering how tight the divisional race is expected to be, those games will play a key role in how things unfold for the Browns.
The Browns will certainly have a leg up if it’s Trevor Siemian but they’re not looking for the easy way out.
“I hated to see it. I think it was just a calf strain, correct? So, I’m very glad for that because if you know about that Achilles and you don’t want anybody to go through that,” said Browns safety Grant Delpit, who was Burrow’s teammate at LSU. “He’ll probably be all right by the time the season comes around. We want to see him in Week 1 too. It’s always a fun game to have and we want everybody at their full potential.”
Burrow has been one of the best quarterbacks in the league since arriving in 2020 as the No. 1 overall pick. However, he’s had trouble with the Browns, going 1-4 in games against Cleveland. He’s tossed 10 touchdowns and five interceptions in those games, averaging 295 yards.
Deshaun Watson Feeling Comfortable Heading Into Second Season With Browns
The Browns have their quarterback situation tidied up after slugging through last year with Jacoby Brissett as their starter for the first 11 games of the season. Deshaun Watson is back and feels ready to roll with a full offseason under his belt.
“Personally, I’m in a different space. I feel really good, comfortable being around the guys, the locker room, the coaching staff, the organization, and just the city of Cleveland,” Watson said at the start of training camp. “So having an opportunity to go into the season, full offseason locked in and focused definitely feels good and I want to continue to keep channeling and cherishing all that energy. Positive energy that has been spread around this organization, the city and myself.”
Watson completed 58.2% of his passes for 1,102 yards and seven touchdowns with five interceptions last season. The team went 3-3 in his starts.
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Bengals Star Ja’Marr Chase Urges Joe Burrow to Skip Browns Matchup