A positive Joe Burrow recovery update

We haven’t seen or heard much of Joe Burrow’s recovery from reconstructive knee surgery, and that’s been by design.

Last week, the Cincinnati Bengals’ Twitter account posted a video of Burrow walking onto Paul Brown Stadium—with a knee brace on—to throw with his trainers. While this was the first time we saw Burrow at least preparing to throw (we’re stretching, obviously), this wasn’t the first time Burrow has been throwing since his surgery.

On a recent episode of the Bengals Beat Podcast, Tyler Dragon of Cincinnati.com explained that Burrow has been throwing for at least a few weeks now, and the public didn’t know about it for a reason.

“In February he started light linear running,” Dragon said. “In late February-early March, he started throwing. Nothing strenuous, he wasn’t dropping back, throwing bombs, planting on his plant leg…The Bengals, Zac Taylor said this, they like the way he is recovering, but there is still a long road to go for his recovery.

“The Bengals want to be extremely cautious with him,” Dragon continued. “That is why you don’t seen a whole lot of videos. You’re not seeing him throw passes. You’re not seeing him running around. They want to protect him. They did not do that with A.J. Green. ... They prematurely put timelines on A.J. Green and his ankle never really healed... They don’t want to make that same mistake.”

A lesson learned the hard way? That’s what it sounds like.

Week 1 has been the proclaimed target date for Burrow’s return, but it appears the Bengals aren’t going to constantly throw that out there for all to hear. This club has had a rough history in projecting when their injured stars will return to the field. Just last year, Trae Waynes, Geno Atkins, and Joe Mixon were all expected to return at some point, and all three finished the season on Injured Reserve.

Burrow isn’t just a starter; he’s the face of the franchise. If he happens to not be 100% ready to play on opening day, they’re not going to be caught in a position where they have to backtrack any statements. Whatever time he needs, he’ll get, and it sounds like the situation will be as fluid as possible.

That said, it is good news that Burrow’s been throwing for at least a month now. If he does complete his recovery in nine months, then the middle of April will represent the halfway mark.

There’s still a few more months to go, but Burrow does seem to be on pace.