Will Joe Burrow Return to the NFL This Season?

• Quarterback Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals is out for at least three months after a toe injury that needs surgery.
• Burrow is on injured reserve, meaning he is out for at least four weeks, but Cincinnati coach Zac Taylor says they’re not ruling out a return for the star QB.
• Burrow’s injury has sent the Bengals’ Super Bowl odds tumbling, and it could get worse throughout the season.

Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow will reportedly miss three months as he needs surgery for an injured toe. Coach Zac Taylor isn’t ruling out a return for the Bengals’ signal-caller.

Burrow’s injury has predictably sent the Bengals’ Super Bowl odds into a downward spiral, and it doesn’t look good for the future.

Burrow Out for at Least Four Weeks, But Likely Three Months, At Least

Taylor told reporters on Wednesday that Burrow could return later in the season. He is on injured reserve now, which means he is out for at least four weeks. But it’s likely that he’ll be out at least three months, with no surgery timetable just yet.

The Bengals’ star quarterback was injured in the first half of Cincinnati’s 31-27 win over Jacksonville, and they are 2-0 to start the season. The Bengals replaced Burrow with Jake Browning, who was 21-of-32 for 241 yards and two touchdowns, but he also threw three picks. He’ll start on Sunday in Minnesota against the Vikings. But the Bengals now have a host of quarterbacks on their roster, like Brett Rypien, while Sean Clifford and Mike White have been named to the practice squad.

BetUS has odds on whether Burrow will return to the Bengals at some point this season, with “No” favored at -200, and “Yes” coming back at +150. Much of Burrow’s potential return rests on how the Bengals are doing by the time he is healthy. If the Bengals are in the playoff picture, they could get Burrow back into the lineup.

But what are their chances of being in the playoff picture?

Can the Bengals Just Sit Burrow for the Rest of the Season?

Cincinnati’s Super Bowl 60 odds were +2000 as of September 4, so they were a longshot with Burrow in the lineup. As of September 17, the Bengals had dropped to +6500, and they could go down even more. Browning has been in the NFL for three years, all with the Bengals, and he has completed 192-of-275 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. Most of that came in 2023, when Burrow missed time due to a wrist injury.

But Browning (or whoever the Cincinnati QB will be) runs into the same problem as Burrow did, which is a terrible offensive line. The Bengals have failed to improve up front to protect Burrow, who has been sacked 206 times in 78 games, counting the regular season and playoffs.

For context, if you just want to look at the regular season, Burrow has been sacked 201 times in 71 games. Andrew Luck retired in 2018 at age 29, and he had been sacked 157 times in 71 games. He retired after seven seasons, due to a myriad of injuries. Burrow will be 29 in December, and this was the start of his sixth NFL season.

Browning, or whoever the Bengals’ quarterback will be, still has Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to throw to. But he still won’t have much time to throw the ball, due to the Bengals’ offensive line being awful, frankly.

Cincinnati has to look at ways to improve up front, but their salary cap picture doesn’t look great. It might be best if the Bengals just sit Burrow for the rest of the season and let him get back to 100% health before throwing him back into a bad situation.