Popular analyst takes dig at Joe Burrow with unexpected comparison to NBA star

Now, this isn't a comparison you hear every day, mainly because the two athletes being compared play two completely different sports. However, popular Fox Sports analyst Colin Cowherd tried his best to compare Cincinnati Bengals star quarterback Joe Burrow to Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid. The basis of the comparison is questionable durability after both players have dealt with a plethora of injury issues over their respective careers.

Cowherd's main point is that injury history must be factored in when discussing either player moving forward.

“That’s part of his narrative now,” Cowherd said of Burrow. “He’s hurt a lot. It’s like Joel Emiid. ... He’s a quarterback. Quarterbacks are not not super athletic, they get hit, blindsided. The narrative with Embiid is that he gers hurt a lot. You can’t talk about Burrow without the injuries. It’s part of it now.”

An unfair comparison?

While the basis of Cowherd's comparison comes from a logical place, it's a little unfair to Burrow, who has only played in the NFL for four seasons so far. Sure, two of those seasons have ended with a season-ending injury, but Burrow led the Bengals to the AFC Championship game in the other two seasons. That's some serious success, despite the early injury issues.

Meanwhile, Embiid missed the first two full seasons of his career after the Sixers selected him with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. Though he was ultimately able to get out on the court, he has struggled with various injuries over the course of his career.

Embiid has never played in more than 68 games in a single season, and he seems to be consistently hampered by something when the postseason rolls around. As a result, the Sixers have been unable to advance past the second round of the playoffs during Embiid's entire decade-long tenure with the team.

With Embiid, his health is simply part of the conversation when it comes to what he brings to a team. Meanwhile, Burrow still has an opportunity to put his early injury issues behind him and have a long, productive career. Sure, if he gets hurt again in 2024 the conversation will shift, but for now, let's hope that Burrow can remain healthy moving forward.