The moment came for the Cincinnati Bengals’ coaches at the beginning of August. The Joe Burrow they knew, the one who led their franchise out of the woods, and onto the NFL’s biggest stages for the first time in three decades, was back. And in complete and total command.
Yes, it had to do with his health, as he returns from another injury, this time a torn wrist ligament. But that wasn’t really it. It was how this quarterbacking prodigy—with a scheme decoder in his head—was returning to his element and reaching a new level in the part of the game he’s long seemed to have mastered.
He was manipulating his protection. He was moving skill guys on his own. He was using the pieces to figure out what the defense was doing.
The incredibly smart QB showed he’s getting even smarter. Get past that and, sure, the injuries he’s sustained come into focus. That he could physically cash the checks his mind was writing, as he processed what was around him, was, indeed, a good sign that he was getting back to being himself. And the fact that all the time he spent unable to do this didn’t go to waste was cool, too—clearly, he used it wisely.
But in the end, the headline for those watching was how Burrow, once again, got tougher to defend in a way that wasn’t going to be readily apparent to the crowds of fans gathered for a training camp workout.
“I had a lot of time coming back to think about checks against certain defenses that I like,” Burrow said, in a quiet moment, a couple of days later. “That’s been a big emphasis for me over the last month and a half. I’m seeing things really well right now. The throwing part is getting better and better, each day the more reps that I get. My arm is really strong down the field right now, which I’m really happy with.
“That was the one thing I was worried about with this injury. I would say it’s as strong as it’s been in that department.”
Soon enough, he and the Bengals trust, he’ll show all of this to the rest of us.
It’s why, when we publish our 2024 staff predictions for the site later this week, I’ll have Cincinnati going to the Super Bowl—and Joe Burrow to be the NFL’s MVP.
The 27-year-old’s been through a lot as a pro. The ACL tear as a rookie, and the rehab going into the Super Bowl year. The appendicitis going into 2022. Last year, the calf injury, and then a scary wrist injury from which he’s finally close to 100% recovered. Yet, with all of that change, one thing hasn’t shifted much. Burrow has always been focused on getting better. It’s why he was at his best before he got hurt last year.
It’s also why, as I see it, he has the best shot of any quarterback at challenging three-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes to be the game’s MVP over the next five months.
