Joe Burrow is advancing to a new phase in his recovery process this month.
The Cincinnati Bengals quarterback is on track to begin running in February. His soft target date to start running is February 10, which will be exactly 10 weeks post left knee reconstructive surgery.
“Will be around week 10 to 12, when I start running,” Burrow said in January.
Burrow had left-knee surgery on Dec. 2. The procedure was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache of Kerlan-Jobe in Los Angeles. He spent the first few weeks after surgery in Southern California before traveling back to Cincinnati. Burrow’s been rehabilitating his knee in Cincinnati since January.
Light linear running is an important next step in Burrow’s rehab process. Burrow declared that he’s aiming for a Week 1 return. The 24-year-old quarterback is on pace to achieve his target goal, but there is still a long road ahead.
The prognosis for ACL and MCL reconstructive surgery is nine to 12 months. Nine months would be right around the 2021 season opener for the Bengals.
There are many hurdles to cross before Burrow reaches that point. Every meticulous rehab schedule is one step at a time. For Burrow, he’s approaching running for the first time since suffering a season-ending left knee injury in Week 11 versus the Washington Football Team.
If all goes according to plan and Burrow has no setbacks doing light running drills, he can begin throwing at the 12-week mark. Burrow will reach 12 weeks post-surgery on Feb. 24.
“I will be able to start throwing around Week 12 from surgery,” Burrow said in January. “I'm looking forward to that. That's kind of when the next phase of the rehab will start.”
In addition to rehabbing his surgically-repaired knee, Burrow wants to increase his overall strength.
“I think about gaining muscle and getting stronger,” Burrow said. “Staying lean is big so I can stay mobile. Getting stronger is more so the goal than gaining weight.”
The 6-foot-4, 221-pound quarterback hopes his time spent in the weight room will increase his arm strength in Year 2.
Burrow was sharp in the intermediate and short pass game. However, he was just 9-for-48 on passes beyond 20 yards in his rookie season. He averaged 6.7 yards per pass attempt which ranked near the bottom of the league.
The Bengals and Burrow want to create more explosive plays in his second season. A second season in which Burrow hopes he plays every game. There is growing optimism that he be on the field in Week 1, but the Bengals and Burrow are planning to be diligent throughout the quarterback’s entire rehab process.
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