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Ben Baby
CINCINNATI — While the rest of the Bengals stretched on one end of the team’s indoor practice facility Friday morning, Joe Burrow stood and waited, helmet in hand.
As the team wrapped up its usual warmups, Burrow bent his legs and kicked, preparing for his opportunity to throw during the team’s final practice ahead of Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots.
The sight seemed unfathomable just a few days ago. When Burrow suffered a turf toe injury on his left foot on Sept. 14, he was given a three-month timetable to return. After being cleared for practice Monday, he eyed a comeback Thanksgiving Day. But exactly nine weeks after surgery to repair the issue, there was a chance he could play this weekend.
Realistically, there is little to play for. The Bengals have lost seven of 10 games this season and have better odds of having a top-five draft pick (16.1%) than making the playoffs (2.8%), according to ESPN Analytics.
And yet, Burrow has spent the past two months doing everything he can to get back on the field. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Saturday that Burrow won’t play Sunday, but the mere readiness to suit up speaks to the drive that has sustained Burrow’s career each time he has suffered a major injury.
«He’s a football player,» Bengals coach Zac Taylor said Friday. «That’s what he wants to do.»
Erick All Jr., who is out for the season while he recovers from a torn ACL he suffered his rookie year, caught passes from Burrow as they worked their way back.
On most days, Burrow was at the team’s stadium and headquarters in downtown Cincinnati before All arrived around 6:30 a.m. for his rehab and training. Over time, Burrow displayed the key characteristics one needs to continually attack the rehab process.
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«Being confident and trusting the surgery and everything went well,» All said. «That’s really half the battle. Once you get that, you’re fine.
«At first it’ll have a little pain with it. But you just got to keep just getting treatment taken care of it and then it will just all work out.»
Burrow isn’t the only player at his position this season dealing with a toe issue. San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy suffered a variation of turf toe in Week 1, reaggravated it three weeks later and missed six games. Since Purdy’s injury didn’t need surgery, it was monitored on a week-to-week basis.
«To play quarterback in the NFL, things happen,» Purdy said. «To be myself and play like myself, I have to move a little bit, and I just wasn’t able to get there for a while.»
Burrow had a more defined timeline. ESPN injury analyst Stephania Bell said the typical return to play timeline for Burrow’s turf toe surgery is roughly 10 to 14 weeks. By being cleared for practice, Burrow has met the major criteria needed to start playing again. With more time and acclimation to the demands of football, Bell said, the soft tissue repair will continue to mature.
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Those who know Burrow well aren’t surprised he is ready to play. Bengals center Ted Karras, who once played with Tom Brady, identified the traits that great quarterbacks have.
«Joe’s an all-time football freak,» Karras said. «I wouldn’t put anything past him. There’s an innate factor in great men when they overcome any type of adversity. He has that.»
