There was a collective exhale among the Cincinnati Bengals coaches and players when quarterback Joe Burrow deemed himself healthy after his first offseason workouts this week.
Burrow sustained a wrist injury against the Baltimore Ravens in November and missed the final seven games of the season. Without Burrow in the lineup, the Bengals finished 9–8 and missed the playoffs for the first time in three years.
Now, Burrow should be back in the lineup and the Bengals have their sights on an AFC North title and deep playoff run. However, Burrow admitted that recovering from the injury has been a challenging process.
“This was a difficult injury,” Burrow said during a press conference in May. “It’s been a tough several months, but physically it’s not the worst injury that I’ve had. I’ve been through much tougher things physically and so that’s been a positive. I’ve been able to really lift and continue my offseason program kind of the way that it always has been.”
The Bengals have a lot riding on Burrow both on the field and financially. Last year, Burrow signed a five-year extension worth $275 million with an average annual value of $55 million—the highest-ever deal for an NFL player at the time.
Cincinnati selected Burrow with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft after he led LSU to the college football National Championship. The Bengals were hopeful that Burrow would have the same success for the beleaguered franchise.
However, Burrow has dealt with injuries over his young career. In rookie season, Burrow tore multiple ligaments in his left knee that also required surgery. Nonetheless, he has been one of the most consistent quarterbacks in the NFL over the past four seasons.
The latest wrist injury was severe enough to end his season. However, his coaches are confident that it should be an ongoing issue this season. They were encouraged by his performance in his first offseason workouts.
“I think he looked as quick and as athletic as I’ve seen him look,” Bengals quarterbacks coach Brad Kragthorpe said after the first practice.
“He looked like the Joe Burrow we’re used to seeing. I didn’t see any difference. I thought the ball came out of his hand well. Confidently. I’m happy where he’s at.”
It was no surprise that Burrow participated in the off-season practice. He is known for his work ethic and leads by example. He won’t be satisfied until Cincinnati wins a championship.
“I’m addicted to getting better, and that feeling, there’s nothing like the feeling of getting better because that makes the day-to-day really worth it,” Burrow said.
Last year, the Bengals missed the postseason despite a largely successful season even without the Burrow. Every team in the AFC North finished with a winning record, the first time every team in a division had a winning percentage over .500 since 1935.
Nonetheless, Burrow was not happy with the overall performance and said the Bengals left too many plays on the field.
“We weren’t consistent enough,” Burrow said. “We weren’t explosive enough. We really weren’t good enough in just about any aspect. So there were lots of areas to improve, including myself and across all the areas of the team ... However the season plays out, we’re going to continue to adapt as a team and get better each day.”
This year, the Bengals are poised to make a run at a division title. In addition to a healthy Burrow, Cincinnati added several key free agents, including Defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, tight end Mike Gesicki, running back Zack Moss, and safeties Geno Stone and Vonn Bell.
All of those players could be difference-makers.
“I feel good about all the guys we brought in, offense and defense. We brought in the right kind of guys. Good players, guys that we’ve played against in the past that we’ve had experience with and know what they have out there.”
Now, Burrow has to work himself back into playing shape and get him timing down with his wide receivers. The Bengals know that Burrow will do all of the work.
Burrow sees room for improvement but he is already moving in the right direction and almost ready to put the injury woes behind him.
“You know, the consistency isn’t quite where I want it to be yet, but there’s definitely flashes of getting better,” Burrow said. “I’m excited about that. The next step for me is just the continued drive for consistency for throw-in, throw-out. Footwork, every single snap. That’s something I’m still working on.”
