When will Joe Burrow return to the field for the Cincinnati Bengals?
By Zach Ragan
Former LSU football quarterback Joe Burrow’s season ended early after suffering a devastating knee injury.
Joe Burrow’s 2019 season ended on a podium with a National Championship trophy.
The ending to his 2020 season wasn’t nearly as picture-perfect.
Burrow’s rookie season ended prematurely this past weekend after he suffered a devastating knee injury in the Cincinnati Bengals’ loss to the Washington Football Team.
According to various reports this week, Burrow suffered a torn ACL and MCL, as well as other structural issues, in his left knee.
The former LSU football quarterback was on pace to be the NFL’s rookie of the year in 2020.
Now we have to wonder when Burrow will be able to return to the field.
When will Joe Burrow return to the field for the Bengals?
In 2010, the Richmond Bone and Joint Clinic in Texas found in a study that 31 of 49 NFL players returned in an average of 10.8 months after undergoing surgery.
So let’s say 11 months as a general recovery time for Burrow.
That would put him on pace to return in mid to late September next season. If the recovery goes perfectly, he could possibly return by the beginning of September.
Burrow’s injury is similar to the injury that Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz suffered in 2017. Wentz tore his ACL and LCL on December 10 (a few weeks later in the season than the timeline of Burrow’s injury). Wentz missed the first two games of the 2018 season while he was still recovering from the injury.
Every player and recovery is different. So there’s really no way to know exactly what Burrow’s timeline looks like.
But we know Burrow works as hard as anyone. And based on past injuries, I think it’s reasonable for Bengals fans to hold out hope that Burrow will be ready for the start of the 2021 season.
Cincinnati, however, doesn’t need to rush Burrow back. If he has to miss a game or two to start the season, then so be it. Burrow is the future of the franchise. Missing a couple of games to start the 2021 season isn’t going to change the trajectory of the franchise.