The Cincinnati Bengals opened up training camp on Tuesday, but they were without the quarterback that led them to a Super Bowl LVI appearance a year ago. Joe Burrow underwent a successful surgery to remove his appendix, according to head coach Zac Taylor. He is expected to miss some practice time as he recovers.
"He was in there yesterday, he'll be discharged today. The timeline is obviously to be determined. But, again, everything went smoothly," Taylor said.
Taylor said Burrow's time away from the team will serve as a good opportunity for other quarterbacks to step in and get some practice.
"You've got to look at the bright side of things. It's a good chance to really get a chance to see them, evaluate (backups Brandon Allen, Jake Browning and Drew Plitt), let them work with some other guys," Taylor said. "And then we go from there. And when Joe comes back, obviously, he jumps into those reps. But those guys have to maximize those opportunities they're going to get."
A standard appendectomy does have a relatively short recovery time, so it doesn't appear like Burrow's availability for the regular season will be impacted at all. Per Mount Sinai Health System, "most patients leave the hospital one to two days after surgery." Then, the patient will be able to go back to normal activities within two to four weeks. Given where the the Bengals are at on the calendar, it's better that this procedure happened now rather than later this summer or ever in the midst of the year.
Burrow is coming off a stellar sophomore season in 2021 where he led the NFL in completion percentage (70.4%) and yards per attempt (8.9). Of course, he also helped Cincinnati to its first AFC North title since 2015 and its first Super Bowl appearance since the 1988 season.
News of this appendectomy comes just a day after Bengals owner Mike Brown spoke glowingly of the former No. 1 overall pick and emphasized the importance of keeping him in Cincinnati for the long haul, calling the inevitable contract extension "our most important issue."
"I can tell you that we couldn't be happier with Joe Burrow," said Brown. "He's everything you would wish for, especially for a quarterback in Cincinnati. Our whole focus is going to be on keeping him here."
Because of the arrival of Burrow, the Bengals are now considered to be a perennial Super Bowl threat and are currently among the favorites to come out of the AFC in 2022. Meanwhile, Burrow is +1300 at Caesars Sportsbook to win NFL MVP this season, which are the fifth-highest odds in the league.