Bengals’ worst fears with Joe Burrow are confirmed, but a return before the end of the season is still in play
Burrow’s Grade 3 turf toe injury has been confirmed.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow will indeed need surgery for his turf toe injury.
Burrow will be out for at least three months, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Burrow suffered his injury in the second quarter of Cincinnati’s Week 2 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The 28-year-old quarterback was sacked for the second time on the day, and Jaguars defensive tackle Arik Armstead landed on Burrow’s left foot. Backup Jake Browning took over for Burrow and helped lead the franchise to its first Week 2 win since Zac Taylor was hired as head coach in 2019.
Turf toe occurs when the joint in the big toe gets stretched or torn. There are varying levels to the injury, but Burrow’s is likely a Grade 3, and surgery, along with a necessary recovery timeline of at least a few months, is warranted.
Joe Burrow’s quickest recovery timeline is officially set
A best-case three-month recovery timeline for Burrow puts the rest of his 2025 season in jeopardy, but there’s still a chance he can return before it ends.
Three months from now puts him at Dec. 15, which is the day after Cincinnati’s Week 15 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. The Bengals will have three more games remaining in the season, and if the playoffs are still in play for them, Burrow could come back to finish the year.
Again, this is the most optimistic recovery timeline for the sixth-year quarterback. He could need more time to be cleared to play, and depending on how well Browning plays in his stead, he may not need to return that quickly.
Had Burrow suffered the injury a few weeks later, we would already be putting his 2025 campaign to bed. He’s suffered two season-ending injuries already in his career.
Grade 3 is not the news Burrow wanted to hear from Dr. Robert Anderson, who received images of Burrow’s MRI, but that’s the reality Cincinnati now faces with a whopping 15 games remaining in the season.
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