Over the weekend, Bengals QB Joe Burrow left the game against the Jaguars due to a toe injury. Subsequently, he was listed as out for three months, needing to undergo toe surgery.
On Friday, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor officially confirmed that Burrow underwent a successful operation, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com and the NFL Network. Furthermore, Taylor said that Burrow was in recovery and there is no timetable for his return, Ben Baby of ESPN.
Nevertheless, Taylor doesn’t rule out the possibility that Burrow will make his return later in the season.
Currently, Jake Browning is the starting QB for the Bengals in Burrow’s absence. After Burrow left, Browning took over against the Jaguars. Altogether, he finished the game with 241 passing yards and two touchdowns in a 31-27 victory.
Though he has promise, Browning is likely not the one to carry the franchise on his shoulders.
Meanwhile, the Bengals are 2-0 to start the season. Burrow has been with Cincinnati since 2020. That year, he was drafted into the organization out of Ohio State.
Since then, he has thrown 19,190 passing yards, 142 touchdowns, and an overall pass completion rate of 68.5%. In 2023, Burrow signed a five-year $275 million contract with the Bengals.
When can Joe Burrow return to action?
Some are expecting Burrow to come back in mid-December. That would mean that if all goes well he would be able to play out the last few weeks of the regular season.
The best case scenario for Burrow to return would be if the Bengals are in a position to contend for the playoffs. If that is not the case, they would likely not want to take any chances. Furthermore, this is not the first time Burrow has had to deal with serious injury.
In 2020, he sustained an ACL injury. Three years later, Burrow had to battle a wrist injury. All in all, the Bengals and Burrow himself will be focusing on his overall health going forward versus an attempt at a short term gain.
If he does return by seasons’ end, Burrow’s play will be significantly limited focusing on pocket passing as opposed to running.
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