It’s something you never want to see in the game of football, but it’s what we all had to witness last Sunday when Joe Burrow suffered a gruesome leg injury during the third quarter of a game vs. the Washington Redskins. The rookie quarterback was the No. 1 overall draft pick this year.
It was third down, and the Cincinnati Bengals only needed two yards for the first down. Joe Burrow dropped back to pass and was sandwiched by two defenders closing in on him. The awkward fall was cringe-worthy in real-time, and no replay was necessary.
Following the game, it was clear Joe Burrow was likely to miss the rest of the season. It was confirmed when MRI test results showed a torn ACL, torn MCL, and several other structural issues to the knee. The Bengals will be forced to finish their season without their franchise quarterback.
Who’s the Next Man Up?
As many NFL fans know, Andy Dalton is currently playing for the Dallas Cowboys — replacing injured Dak Prescott (another franchise QB that suffered a gruesome knee injury). The Bengals can’t turn to him anymore, and they declined to sign a veteran QB to work behind Burrow at the start of the season.
That leaves the Bengals with Ryan Finley, the team’s primary backup, and Brandon Allen, a veteran that was recently signed to the team’s practice squad. Finley isn’t a bad option if you want him to gain experience, solidifying him as a future backup or adding some trade value to his name.
Of course, the Cincinnati Bengals could always sign a free agent quarterback to finish the season. Colin Kaepernick has mentioned he’s still available, but we’ll see if the Bengals go that route to end the year.
What’s Next for Joe Burrow?
With his injury, there’s a chance Joe Burrow misses anywhere from nine months to a full year of football. Many are questioning his status to start the 2021-22 season, with some suggesting the Bengals sit him until 2022 to fully recover and prepare.
Waiting that long is a little too much, but it’s clear that the Bengals need to prepare for life without him for quite some time. It’s extremely sad for a player that was having a good rookie season but still needed the experience to improve.
At 2-7-1, they’re in the race for a top-three pick in the NFL Draft. The Bengals aren’t in a position to win many more games this year, so they have another big draft pick coming in this offseason. While Burrow might not be ready, the team still has a lot to look forward to next season, and they’ll likely be a better team by the time Burrow returns.
Right now, Joe Burrow needs to focus on his recovery from this horrendous injury. It’s not going to be easy for him, but Burrow is one of the hardest-working individuals in the NFL, and he’ll come back better than ever.