Explaining Joe Burrow's Turf Toe Injury and Recovery Schedule amid Surgery Rumors

Turf toe is one of the more vivid NFL ailments, and the injury itself is no laughing matter.

Football fans are becoming reacquainted with turf toe after ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow needs surgery and could miss at least three months.

Stephania Bell of ESPN detailed what turf toe actually entails.

"Most commonly, it is a hyperextension injury at the big toe (forcing the toe to extend beyond its normal range of motion) that damages the associated ligaments and results in a turf toe injury," she said. "The name originates from the early days of artificial turf when cleats would engage with the turf and stick while the body weight came over the top of the foot, thus forcing the toes into hyperextension. But injury can happen on any surface."

Bell went on to say that turf toe can leave a player out for 12 to 14 weeks if it's serious enough to warrant surgery, hence the three-month timeline for Burrow.

It's too early to write off the Bengals' playoff hopes entirely.

Cincinnati went 4-3 with Jake Browning when he replaced Burrow for the final seven games of 2023. He threw for 1,868 yards, 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions while completing 71.5 percent of his passes during that span.

The 29-year-old also possesses the kind of short-term memory that's required to play quarterback in the NFL.

In Sunday's game, he had three interceptions but led the offense on a 15-play, 92-yard drive for the go-ahead score with 18 seconds on the clock.

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Still, the prospect of Browning starting the next 15 games isn't ideal. Should he, too, get injured or watch his performance decline, the Bengals will be in even bigger trouble.

Brett Rypien is signed to the practice squad, while Schefter reported Cincy is reaching out to prospective free agents. The team might as well pack it in if it has to pivot to Rypien or another QB who isn't good enough to be on a roster right now.