Ian Rapoport sounds alarm about Bengals' Joe Burrow after back injury

Cincinnati Bengals fans feared the worst when they learned that starting quarterback Joe Burrow was not a full participant in Wednesday's practice due to what he referred to as "back tightness."

During Thursday's edition of NFL Network's "Good Morning Football," insider Ian Rapoport insisted that Burrow remains on track to start the Bengals' game at the 0-1 Houston Texans. However, that doesn't mean Rapoport thinks either Burrow or the Cincinnati offense will be at its absolute best inside Reliant Stadium.

"Burrow did not do hardly anything [Wednesday] at practice," Rapoport explained. "Was not spotted throwing the ball very much when reporters were out there. ...How much does this affect just being on the same page with (wide receiver) Ja'Marr Chase, with (WR) Tee Higgins, with all of these Cincinnati Bengals pass-catchers? If he's not going to throw much, if he's not going to practice much, then we'll see where they are at execution-wise on game day."

In the Bengals' 33-27 Week 1 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 13, Burrow passed for 254 yards and a touchdown. He also had an interception taken to the house for a score.

While Chase, Higgins and other members of the Cincinnati offense obviously have experience catching passes thrown by Burrow, history shows that a quarterback who is unable to practice during the week often looks somewhat rusty throughout a subsequent game. Additionally, Burrow's worrisome injury history could lead one to question how his body will respond the first time he takes a hit while facing a menacing Houston pass rush.

This past offseason, the Bengals brought veteran quarterback Joe Flacco back to serve as Burrow's primary backup for another season. Flacco tossed 13 touchdown passes and only four interceptions across six starts with Cincinnati during the 2025 campaign when Burrow was sidelined with a serious toe injury.

"If something happens during the (Cincinnati-Houston) game," Rapoport continued, "if Joe Flacco needs to be out there, you know that he can handle it. So I would say this: this is a situation that we are monitoring for Burrow but not something that everybody should be panicked about."

Not long after Rapoport offered his update, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Bengals as 2.5-point road underdogs against the Texans.