Bengals' Joe Burrow Healthy, Won't Be Placed on PUP/NFI List After Knee Surgery

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow will not be placed on the PUP or NFI list entering training camp, indicating he is healthy as practices begin, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Burrow has been recovering from a season-ending knee injury suffered last November, fincluding a torn ACL and MCL with other structural issues.

The 2020 No. 1 overall draft pick finished his rookie year with 2,688 passing yards and 13 touchdowns in 10 games. 

Despite the severity of the damage, Burrow had planned to return before the start of the 2021 season nine months after the initial injury. 

"I should be full go in camp," he said in May. "That's my goal. Maybe a little limited."

Two months later, the quarterback reached his expectation and appears on track to play Week 1 as the Bengals host the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 12. The squad's first preseason game is scheduled for Aug. 14 against the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

It should provide plenty of excitement in Cincinnati with the return of the franchise quarterback in a passing attack that features Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd and rookie first-round pick Ja'Marr Chase. Burrow and Chase won an NCAA championship together at LSU and will team up again in the NFL.