Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow suffered a season-ending wrist injury last year on his throwing arm. Naturally, he was going to have a lot of eyes on that wrist as he made his return this week. But he didn’t seem to realize until yesterday just how much scrutiny it would receive. Little did he know every micromovement he would make would come up for public debate—by people with no expertise.
Evidently, a video went viral showing Burrow flexing his wrist and moving it awkwardly while picking up a water bottle. Reporters finally asked him about it yesterday, which he said was the first he learned of it. “I just drank water”, he laughed, as his explanation behind what people saw during the game, via ESPN.
Burrow insisted that his wrist was “absolutely not” affecting his performance in any way during the Bengals’ season-opening loss. During the game, he went 21-of-29 for 164 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. The New England Patriots dominated time of possession, so the Bengals didn’t even run much either, losing 16-10.
One reason Joe Burrow might be under so much scrutiny is because of the context of his injury last year. Even then, many people suspected that he was already dealing with a wrist injury before one ended his season. While the evidence was highly questionable, the subsequent event was enough justification for some.
Of course, any time a franchise quarterback has surgery on his throwing arm, people are going to pay attention. That’s why they focused on it so much during the NFL’s own broadcast of the game—it creates drama.
After all, with Joe Burrow, the Bengals are a Super Bowl contender. Without Burrow, the Bengals didn’t even make the playoffs last year. Prior to last season, they made it to the conference finals two years in a row. They nearly won the Super Bowl in 2021, and Burrow was instrumental in that.
Burrow only played 10 games last season due to the injury, also affected by a calf injury during camp. He went 5-5 as the starter of record though he exited the final loss in the first half. In those 10 games, Burrow went 244-of-365 for 2,309 yards with 15 touchdowns to 6 interceptions.
Another factor driving interest is the fact that Burrow is one of the highest-paid football players in history. The Bengals have a lot of money riding on that wrist. But I’m sure they’re not concerned about how he is picking up a water bottle—they know better.
“That’s part of ligament injuries”, Burrow said of his continued flexing of his wrist during the game. “If you don’t move it, you’re going to lose it. So I’m always moving it around, keeping it loose, keeping my mobility the way it’s supposed to be. So it’s going to continue to happen”.
