Bengals' Zac Taylor Hasn't 'Shut the Door' on a Joe Burrow Return This Season

Consider us ... hopeful.

Asked Wednesday whether he has fully "shut the door" on quarterback Joe Burrow returning this season after suffering a toe injury, Bengals coach Zac Taylor offered up an emphatic one-word answer that should thrill any Cincinnati fan: "No." As in no, he has not shut that door.

We'll take it.

Take a peek at that below:

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor says the door isn’t closed on Joe Burrow returning to the field this season. pic.twitter.com/xoqCGRX5v3
— James Rapien (@JamesRapien) September 17, 2025

To be fair, Taylor's response is somewhat in line with the timeline fans were already given; Burrow will need surgery and is expected to be sidelined for at least three months. If we take his exit date as last Sunday, Sept. 14, that puts him at a projected return on or around Dec. 14, when the Bengals host the Ravens at Paycor Stadium in Week 15. Taylor noted Wednesday that he doesn't have the timing yet for Burrow's procedure.

#Bengals HC Zac Taylor says he has not shut the door on a return for Burrow this season but does not have any timeline updates and doesn’t have the surgery date as of yet (said it may have been decided this morning).
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) September 17, 2025

A 90-day recovery leaves a lot to go wrong, however, so we wouldn't go making any bets based on the coach's comments today. Still, it is at least somewhat encouraging to see him being publicly optimistic about our chances of seeing more Joe Burrow football in 2025, whether in the regular season or possibly playoffs.