Bengals QB Joe Burrow Handed Devastating New Recovery Prediction

The Cincinnati Bengals are experiencing their worst fear, as star quarterback Joe Burrow went down with a severe case of turf toe that required surgery. Burrow received the surgery, and his timeline for return was predicted to be three months.

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Now, it appears that Burrow is looking at a far longer recovery time, which could rule him out for far longer than expected.

According to a new report from NFL insider Jay Glazer, which was shared by Ari Meirov, Burrow is looking at a far longer recovery time.

“#Bengals QB Joe Burrow underwent surgery on Friday. The three-month return that’s been mentioned is viewed as a very optimistic timeline — and that’s if he really pushes it, per @JayGlazer,” the post reads.

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A postseason return, if Cincy makes the playoffs, is more realistic than a regular-season return.

Glazer indicated that Burrow could return in three months, but that would require him to “push it.” That might not be what the Bengals want when it comes to their franchise quarterback.

Instead, Burrow is looking at a more elongated recovery time, which could knock him out for the remainder of the regular season. Should the Bengals make the playoffs, then that would be a more likely timeline for the star signal caller to return.

Burrow suffered a very severe Grade 3 turf toe that required surgery to fix. It would be a bit strange for him to return in three months, considering he has to constantly run on his feet while playing football.

The Bengals’ medical staff might not want to push him back on the field, especially with Jake Browning taking over. He did go 4-3 in 2023 when Burrow was lost to injury, and he is viewed as one of the best backup quarterbacks in the league.

Browning could easily lead the Bengals to the wins needed for Burrow to take more time off. Though losing the MVP-caliber quarterback for months is not ideal, losing him for longer by throwing him back out on the field too soon would be far worse.

The Bengals have the kind of team to put together some wins with Browning behind center, and they need to allow Burrow to heal fully before he takes the field again.

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