By Tyler Fennell
Staff Writer
Joe Burrow, the Cincinnati Bengals' star quarterback, will be out long-term with a foot injury. This injury marks his eighth significant injury dating back to his college career. This injury also comes with the “injury-prone label.” The Bengals, as of now, do not have a serious starting quarterback if they intend to make the playoffs this year.
Joe Burrow has never played behind a good offensive line in his career in the NFL, and while part of his injury problems come from trying to extend the play when the pocket collapses, the lack of a sturdy o-line does not help him in avoiding getting hurt.
If a Burrow trade were to go down, it would likely require multiple first-round picks, a starter-caliber quarterback, an outstanding offensive lineman, or a mix of the three. The destination would also be a team with a good offensive line that knows they can take the risk on an injury-prone quarterback.
The Minnesota Vikings stand out as a potential destination. JJ McCarthy went down with an injury in week two, and they have one of the best o-lines in the NFL. Justin Jefferson, their star receiver, also played with Burrow in college. While Burrow can’t help them as of now, if he is back come playoff time and the Vikings are in the picture, it could be a match made in heaven.
The Denver Broncos are also a standout destination. They have arguably a top-three offensive line core, very good weapons, and one of, if not the best, defenses in the league. However, Bo Nix has proven to be very solid in his rookie year, despite being subpar to start his sophomore season. With that said, a healthy Burrow is a much better quarterback than Nix. If this trade were to go down, they would easily become Super Bowl favorites out of the AFC.
Both of these trades likely would not happen until Burrow is healthy again. If the Bengals do not see him working out long-term, these could end up being moves that happen after the season is over, given the timetable of the injury.
From the Bengals' perspective, they need a starting quarterback now. Candidates that come to mind are guys who could be potential bust-comeback candidates, veteran backups that used to be starters, or really good backups.
With the New York Giants starting Jaxson Dart in week four, one would think that either Russell Wilson or Jameis Winston could become available. Wilson in week two had a 450-yard game behind a terrible offensive-line. Moving over to the Bengals isn’t a completely different situation.
Bust-comebacks could involve Trey Lance, Kenny Pickett or Zach Wilson. Alternatively, they could take a swing on a rookie who has yet to play a snap of pro football, Shedeur Sanders. Sanders played behind an awful offensive-line in college. Before the draft, he was the projected second quarterback to be taken. He ended up falling to the Cleveland Browns in round five after they had already taken a quarterback in Dillon Gabriel. Sanders would certainly be the most interesting of the trade targets for the Bengals.
