Joe Burrow has been practicing with the Cincinnati Bengals during training camp, but is he playing in their upcoming preseason game? Burrow suffered a devastating knee injury on November 22, which takes his recovery time to a little less than nine months. Could he really be ready for preseason work? Does he need the preseason reps?
Joe Burrow’s knee injury
Honestly, it’s impressive he’s even back practicing at this point. Burrow’s knee effectively went through a wood chipper, tearing his ACL and MCL. Additionally, he partially tore his PCL and meniscus. That’s a lot of damage to overcome in just nine months. However, his surgeon, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, believed he’d be ready to start the 2021 NFL season.
ESPN injury specialist Stephania Bell’s comments early on in the process proved prophetic. She believes that with contact knee injuries like Burrow’s, the mental aspect of the rehab is also important.
Folks on the ground at Bengals training camp reported that Burrow appeared uncomfortable in the pocket early on. He eventually admitted that he did have a bit of a mental block toward the situation.
Preseason Week 2 | Is Joe Burrow playing?
Head coach Zac Taylor already told the media that Burrow would not play against the Washington Football Team on Friday.
“He [Burrow] could do it, I’m sure he wants to do it. But again, our No. 1 thing is making sure our guys are ready to play in Week 1 against Minnesota. So, putting him out there, that’s just not what we’re going to do right now.”
Because, historically, the final week of preseason games is reserved for roster bubble players, it’s doubtful we see Burrow on the field before September 12.
Building off his rookie season
Burrow played well despite playing on a bad team as a rookie in 2020. The former Heisman Trophy winner threw for 2,688 yards in his 10 games and threw for 13 touchdowns to only 5 interceptions.
He did that behind one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL. Unfortunately, although improved heading into 2021, it’s only marginally better. Therefore, the Ja’Marr Chase vs. Penei Sewell debate will rage as long as their respective careers last.
However, bringing in a receiver with whom Burrow has such a rapport is valuable, even behind a turnstile offensive line. There’s a reason that Chase is such a hot commodity in the fantasy football realm.