Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow made his official return to practice on Monday. As turf toe surgery is often difficult, this represents a major milestone in his recovery. The Bengals had recently opened Burrow’s 21-day window to return from IR. This puts him one step closer to resuming play on the field. Burrow didn’t take a snap in any 11-on-11 team drills. He really struggled throwing passes to receivers during “routes on air,” where he shouldn’t be facing defenders.
This week would be the beginning of Burrow’s 21-day return to practice clock. He’s been on a mission to put behind him an injury-plagued past few seasons. Burrow had an uphill battle throughout the 2022 campaign. For one, he was forced to have an emergency appendectomy, which stunted his ability to perform early on in the year. A strained calf injury curtailed his early season appearances in 2023. Then, in a Week 2 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, he aggravated a previous toe injury that’s sidelined him since.
The Cincinnati Bengals are preparing to face the Pittsburgh Steelers in an AFC North battle this Sunday. What we do know for certain is that Burrow won’t be playing on Thursday this week. Even with all this news, he remains hopeful that he will be able to return in time for the season opener. He’s reportedly targeted a possible return for the Thanksgiving Day game against the Baltimore Ravens on Nov. 27th.
“Everything is still there in front of us.” – Joe Burrow
“At this point, it’s just the running, cutting, twitchy short stops that we’re going to have to see over these next couple of weeks how it feels and where that goes.” – Joe Burrow
Considering Burrow’s lengthy injury history, there’s an additional layer of complexity to his situation. He suffered a season-ending wrist injury during a prime-time game last November, and earlier in his career, he dealt with a devastating left knee injury that required surgery to repair a torn ACL and other ligaments in his rookie season of 2020. These experiences have not dulled his pioneering spirit, which colors his approach to recovery and commitment to coming back like never before.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor has repeatedly expressed his support for Burrow’s involvement throughout this rehab process.
“It’s exciting when you see a guy who has put so much into coming back on the front end of a difficult injury.” – Zac Taylor
Burrow says he believes his surgical repair is much stronger. On a positive note, with his rehab ongoing he’s pleased with his base level of overall athleticism and continuing rehab. He’s not giving in though, convinced the Bengals still have a chance with Cincinnati only a game out of Pittsburgh for the cellar of the AFC North.
“We’ll see how these next couple weeks go.” – Joe Burrow
As Burrow goes through this tough recovery process, everyone—fans, coaches, and teammates—are eager to see him return. Burrow’s comeback story is picking up steam. For the Bengals, it’s all about making sure they reach their potential target date of returning to get their season’s mojo back.
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