Bengals need accountability for Joe Burrow injury
By Aaron Burd
The Bengals will need to hold their coaching staff and front office accountable for failing to give franchise quarterback Joe Burrow more protection.
In what was an inevitability to many, the Bengals‘ poor offensive line finally got rookie quarterback Joe Burrow injured.
Going into the season, fans and media warned that the front office’s failure to address the offensive line would result in Burrow’s injury. Unfortunately, those skeptics turned out to be correct.
In the third quarter of the Bengals’ game against the Washington Football Team, Joe Burrow was hit low and tore his ACL, MCL, and suffered other structural damage to his knee that will require reconstructive knee surgery. This is an injury that could keep him out well into the 2021 season depending on how rehab goes.
To everyone on the outside looking in, this was bound to happen after the Bengals refused to address their offensive line in free agency and the draft. For that reason, there needs to be accountability from the Bengals.
That should start with head coach Zac Taylor, offensive line coach Jim Turner and Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin all losing their jobs. Many will say that it is too harsh to fire those three over a “freak” accident. They will say that a QB with even the best offensive line could get injured on any given play.
These types of knee injuries, like the one Joe Burrow suffered, usually sideline players anywhere from 9-12 months, though each person heals and rehabs differently. But no matter how quickly Burrow does or doesn’t recover, next year’s status is now in question. https://t.co/XfUUMbMPOx
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 23, 2020
While that is true, it is much more likely to happen to the second-most sacked player in the league. The more you’re hit, the more chances there are for you to get injured.
Going into the offseason, everyone outside of the organization knew that the Bengals needed to address their offensive line.