Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow missed the back half of last season due to a wrist injury that would ultimately require surgery. He also dealt with a calf issue that severely limited him over the first several weeks of 2023.
It’s hardly the first time Burrow has dealt with injuries, either.
During his rookie campaign, the LSU product tore his ACL and MCL while also suffering damage to his PCL and meniscus. He played in just 10 games as a result.
Now, with all of the injuries in his rearview mirror and Burrow still on the mend heading into 2024, the signal-caller is questioning how long he will be able to play football.
“Whenever the injuries start to stack up, your football mortality kind of comes into the back of your mind,” Burrow said, via Eric Edholm of NFL.com. “So that’s definitely something I’ve thought about and something I have had to fight through.”
Burrow is expected to be ready for Week 1, but he is still rehabbing and said that it is “tough to say” how healthy he is percentage wise.
Should Joe Burrow’s Concerns Worry the Bengals?
Burrow’s statement about his health can’t make the Bengals feel too good going into next season.
While the 27-year-old is still recovering, he did not seem overly optimistic about his current status, which makes you wonder if he will be 100 percent by the time the 2024 campaign begins.
When Burrow is healthy, there is no doubt that he is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
During his first full season in 2021, he led the league in completion percentage (70.4 percent) and threw for 4,611 yards, 34 touchdowns and 14 interceptions while posting a passer rating of 108.3. Most importantly, he led Cincinnati all the way to the Super Bowl, where it fell to the Los Angeles Rams.
The following year, Burrow made the Pro Bowl after finishing with 4,475 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 picks while completing 68.3 percent of his throws and registering a 100.8 passer rating.
Then, after getting off to a slow start last season due to the calf injury, Burrow was finally starting to hit his stride and recorded 2,309 yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions in 10 starts before going down as a result of the wrist injury.
The Bengals are legitimate contenders with a healthy Joe Burrow, so hopefully, he is able to get right before September.
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