Is this the end of the ‘Burrow Bomb?’ Joe Burrow, the young gunslinger slinging spirals for the Bengals, might face a future far less explosive than what his nickname suggests. Here’s the dagger: an NFL doctor warned Burrow about potential ‘arthritis and instability’ stemming from his nasty wrist injury last season.

Remember that bone-jarring hit the Bengals QB took on Nov 16, 2023, against the Ravens? Initially, it was speculated to be a TFCC complex tear, but it’s actually much worse than what we all thought. The injury tore Burrow’s right scapholunate ligament—a crucial wrist stabilizer. Dr. Jesse Morse shared a tweet on X that provided a detailed description of the signal caller’s season-ending injury. 

When Dr. Morse asked an orthopedic surgeon colleague about how bad the injury could be, the response was: “It’s a bad one, likely leading to instability and arthritis way sooner than normal.” Not exactly what you want to hear as a QB who thrives on pinpoint accuracy and a laser-like throwing motion. While Burrow did get the green light last season to throw again, the NFL doctor offered a not-so-rosy outlook. 

Dr. Morse dropped a bomb about Burrow’s signature dart-thrower motion. “80% of normal strength and range of motion is common after this injury,” he highlighted, “making that snappy wrist flick difficult.” The NFL doctor isn’t sure if Cincinnati’s QB will ever be able to throw darts with his signature style again. 

Another orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Kutsikovich, mentioned the potential on-and-off soreness for Burrow, stating the Bengals QB may not fully recover from the injury. With constant monitoring and potential limitations to his throwing style, Burrow’s road to recovery seems to be a long one. 

Will the ‘Burrow Bomb’ become a thing of the past? As of right now, it seems like it. From what the doctors assert, Joe Burrow’s game will be changed forever. 

How Joe Burrow’s injury might change his game forever

The Bengals’ future took a brutal hit alongside their star QB. The torn ligament not only sidelined Burrow for the rest of 2023 but also impacted his playing style. Throwing for over 300 yards and 3 touchdowns, Burrow became the first-ever rookie to throw for 300+ yards in three consecutive games. The 27-year-old put up a mind-boggling stat line of 406 yards passing, 3 passing TDs, and 1 rushing TD—all of it in a single game! However, these record-breaking numbers might change. 

Commanders’ ex-QB Alex Smith had a similar gruesome injury on the leg that sidelined him in 2018. Things got even scarier for him when a nasty infection turned a complex fracture into a life-threatening situation. The initial break was bad enough—a double dose of tibia and fibula misery due to a tackle gone wrong. Doctors had to perform 16 additional surgeries to save not just Smith’s leg, but his life. 

Thankfully, Smith recovered and returned to the field in 2020. But he retired just one year later, with his game never quite the same. Let’s just hope this is not the case for the Bengals’ QB, Joe Burrow. 

What do you think about Burrow’s injury? Let us know in the comments below.