I'm Worried About Joe Burrow

NFL training camps are full go right now and everyone is reporting on them. One day has a great throw, the next a brawl, the next a contract dispute, the next a trade demand and as always, injuries. The most recent injury update I saw was on Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow.

Burrow came out of the gates like a QB on fire last season for the Bengals. After a historic run to a title at LSU and winning the Heisman, Burrow was the number one pick by the Bengals in the 2020 draft. He was the surefire, can't miss prospect. He was the new Andrew Luck, but with more speed. He has all the tools to be great. And he was showing flashes during his rookie year. He was making deep throws, stepping up in the pocket to avoid pass rushers, pulling it down and running for 10 plus yards, he looked like the real deal.

Then he tore his ACL.

It looked bad at the time, but after his surgery all the reports were how well he was healing, and how fast he was healing. Things seemed to be good. But yesterday I saw a story from a reporter who said that Burrow has not looked good in camp. He is short-arming throws. Passes are being easily broken up or picked off. And the worst thing this reporter said was that he is "sticking his leg out to avoid getting even touched". I guess it seems like he may be scared of reinjuring his knee.

I get it, I would be hesitant too. But I am not an NFL quarterback. This can all be worked out, especially given Burrow's age, but this could also just be another in a long line of Cincinnati Bengals that end up having their careers cut short, or dampened by injury. Burrow is not the first Bengal that this would/could have happened to. There are too many to count in fact. When I was reading about this training camp experience the first name that came to mind for me was Carson Palmer. He got his knee absolutely exploded, illegally I might add, in a playoff game against the Steelers. The Bengals actually looked like a real contender that year, but when Palmer went down, their chance to win the Super Bowl was gone. Palmer came back the next year, but he wasn't the same. Even when he looked like he had rebounded with the Cardinals, you could still see the effects of that hit. He was still timid. His long ball wasn't going as far as it used to. He had much less pocket presence. He seemed to bail quicker on plays. I also thought of Ki Jana Carter. He was the next great running back in his draft class. He was an amazing college football player. He had all the tools. He was going to usher in the next era of great NFL running backs. Then his knee got destroyed. His ACL tear was bad too. It looked bad in real time and even worse in slow motion. He never returned after that. He was done. He was out of the league within five years. He had no comeback from that injury. It was brutal too. I may not have liked him, he went to Penn State, but the dude was incredible to watch in college. Then he tore his knee up and was never the same. We could also talk about AJ Green. He had a few great years with the Bengals. He was their Calvin Johnson. Then he got hurt, missed a ton of time and is now gone to a new team but isn't expected to do much because of past injuries sustained with the Bengals. The same thing happened to Ickey Woods after his lone great season in the NFL. Everyone knows him from the "Ickey Shuffle", his touchdown dance, but he was a key to their run in the playoffs. Then he gets hurt a year later and then is out of the league a few years after that. Anthony Munoz is a hall of fame offensive lineman but his career was cut short due to injury. He was as dominate as an offensive lineman could be, but he had shoulder issues and knee problems and concussions and had to walk away before he may have wanted to.

Look, I am not a Bengals fan. I don't actively root against them but I also do not watch their games. But this team seems to have horrible luck with draft picks and injuries. I feel like it is a bit unfair to their fanbase, of which is rabid. Those fans are aching for a perennially good team and things have looked like they could get there with recent picks. Then the injury bug strikes and that sets everything another couple years. It is a bummer. From Munoz to Green to Palmer to Carter to Woods and now Burrow, it just feels like the Bengals are not allowed to draft guys with humongous potential and see them live up to said potential.

I hope Burrow is okay, I hope he gets over the yips he may have right now. But if history has told us anything, when it comes to injured Bengals, do not count on it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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