The Cincinnati Bengals could not be more excited to welcome Joe Burrow back to the field for the 2024 season. After going down with a season-ending hand injury last year, the Bengals limped through the season and ended up missing the playoffs. Burrow is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, but his injury history has started piling up a bit.
With that in mind, there are many around the league who are concerned about the Bengals and Burrow. One of them is popular sports analyst Colin Cowherd.
In a recent quote, shared by The Volume, Cowherd revealed that he thinks the Bengals are one more Burrow injury away from needing to draft a quarterback.
“I do think one more injury and the Bengals have to draft another QB.”
Should The Cincinnati Bengals Be Concerned About Joe Burrow?
Does Cowherd’s opinion hold some weight? Absolutely. The Bengals cannot afford to keep seeing their franchise quarterback go down with lengthy injuries.
However, suggesting that they’re one injury away from prioritizing drafting a quarterback might be a bit much.
Instead, the Bengals should be doing their best to surround Burrow with more protection and talent. Keeping him safe as opposed to trying to replace him would be the better strategy.
When he’s healthy, the Bengals are viewed as a legitimate Super Bowl contender. That tells you all you need to know about how good Burrow has been for them. He does need to stay healthy, but his injuries have not necessarily been his fault either.
Some players get injured because they don’t take care of themselves well. Burrow is not one of those players. He dealt with the nagging calf injury last year before the season-ending injury, but he played through that and was picking up speed as the season went on before the second injury.
Previously, he suffered a gruesome knee injury due to his offensive line allowing a defender through that hit him low. In no way is that an issue with Burrow.
All of that being said, there is no question that the Cincinnati Bengals need a healthy version of Joe Burrow. He has struggled to say on the field consistently, but there are other areas that need improved rather than pivoting to finding a new quarterback. Burrow is a superstar and you don’t move on from superstars due to a few injuries.
It will be interesting to see what kind of season Burrow is able to put together in 2024 with the Bengals. Can he lead them back to contention in the AFC? We’ll have to wait and see, but Cowherd is clearly hitting the panic button when it comes to Burrow’s injury history.
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