Joe Burrow was taken out in the first half of the Cincinnati Bengals 31-27 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday and the injury seems a lot worse than it was originally reported. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Burrow’s turf toe injury could result in surgery which would keep him out for three months, meaning his 2025 season would be over.
Sources: Images of Joe Burrow’s turf toe injury are being sent to noted foot specialist, Dr. Robert Anderson, to be reviewed. If surgery is deemed necessary, it would be expected to sideline Burrow three months. Burrow was in a walking boot and on crutches after today’s game. pic.twitter.com/8sz6m3kipx
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 15, 2025
If that’s true, you have to ask what will it take for the Bengals front office to take the investing in this offensive line seriously? They invested heavily into their skill players, signing Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase to lucrative deals, but that means nothing if the $275 million quarterback you paid can’t pass it to them.
Schefter added that images of Burrow’s turf toe injury are being sent off to a foot specialist for a second opinion on if he needs surgery. If he does essentially miss the rest of the year, this has to be a wake up call for Duke Tobin and the front office to take protecting him seriously.
Joe Burrow’s injury history should be sickening to Bengals fans
Joe Burrow's major NFL injuries since rookie season
INJURY | YEAR IT HAPPENED | GAMES PLAYED IN SEASON |
|---|---|---|
Torn ACL, MCL, Meniscus | 2020 | 10 |
Torn wrist ligament | 2023 | 10 |
Turf Toe | 2025 | 2 |
If it feels like Burrow is always hurt, well that’s because he’s basically had a major injury in all but three years of his NFL career. That solely goes to the Bengals shoddy offensive line play. In the early years, it was simply not getting the right players. Now it’s paying the wrong ones and costing them their franchise quarterback.
Burrow and the Bengals can’t afford another year of him absent with an injury. He’s already won two Comeback Player of the Year awards, which is the one award you probably don’t want to win multiple times. Burrow’s season threatened by yet another major injury is right in line with how urgent this front office has been to get him help in the offensive line.
Joe Burrow could miss yet another season at the negligence of the front office
It was crazy the contract drama surrounding Trey Hendrickson and Shemar Stewart overshadowed the Bengals’ biggest problem, and nobody talked about it. Now, it’s the only thing people will be talking about if he misses yet another season. Going back to his rookie season, you could argue that every one of his major injuries was the result of bad offensive line play.
When he tore his ACL, MCL and meniscus in his rookie season, he was sacked 32 times in 10 games. When he missed seven games in the 2023 season to a torn ligament in his wrist, he had been sacked 24 times. Now two games into the 2025 season, he could already be done for the year.
During Burrow’s career, in the three full seasons he’s played, he’s been sacked at least 41 times in the year and in the year he led Cincinnati to the Super Bowl, he was sacked a career high 51 times. No quarterback should endure that kind of punishment, certainly one that’s as talented as Burrow.
This is the situation the front office has put the Bengals in. They learned this past offseason to be competitive, they have to pay the players that have the most value. Next year, this upcoming offseason they’re going to learn it’s never ending because now they have to invest in this offensive line.
If the front office refuses to get Burrow some help in the trenches, they may never see a Super Bowl again and he may be forced to medically retire because the injuries continue to pile up. Burrow can’t miss the rest of this season, not with the expectations for them this year. If he ultimately has to get surgery and can’t finish the year, it should be the final straw to force this team to invest in the offensive line.