CINCINNATI — Joe Burrow expects to be cleared from his wrist injury by May, according to a report from ESPN.
ESPN's Ben Baby said Burrow has a date set for when he'll be fully cleared for the offseason if everything goes to plan.
"I think middle of May is when I am expecting to kind of be cleared for full contact and everything," Burrow told ESPN on Sunday. "Over the next month [to] month and a half, we'll kind of decide all those things."
Burrow tore a ligament in his right wrist during a Thursday Night Football game against the Baltimore Ravens on Nov. 16. Burrow said he felt his wrist "pop" when talking about the season-ending injury. The quarterback was throwing a touchdown pass to Joe Mixon when he injured himself. He was visibly in pain and went to the blue medical tent as soon as he got off the field. When he returned to the sideline, he attempted to throw the ball but couldn't.
A week or so after the injury, Burrow had surgery to fix the ligament, which the Bengals said "went as planned."
The injury also caused the NFL to investigate whether the Bengals violated injury report policy ahead of the game where he tore the ligament. The NFL found that the Bengals were compliant.
READ MORE | NFL finds Bengals were compliant with injury report policy regarding Joe Burrow's wrist injury
Burrow told ESPN that the Bengals have organized team activities (OTAs) where he fully expects to have full throwing sessions. ESPN reported that he has begun throwing small medicine balls during recovery.
Burrow also told ESPN the timeline isn't unusual from his previous offseasons, because he doesn't start throwing until OTAs.
"I can lift basically normally now, which I'm excited about," Burrow told ESPN. "So the next two months, I'll basically be just doing what I've done for the last couple of years Just the 12 weeks of extra work in the rearview."
Looking ahead to the 2024 season, Burrow told ESPN that young players will play a crucial role.
"We need the guys that we draft to come in and be productive and take on the leadership roles that we've lost the last couple of years," Burrow said. "And we need to bring in the right pieces this off-season too, whether it's the draft or free agency."
Burrow also acknowledge how he was plagued with his calf injury at the beginning of the season, but said injuries weren't the only reason the Bengals underperformed in 2023.
"We weren't good enough in a lot of different places to make a Super Bowl around in my opinion," Burrow told ESPN.
The Bengals have already begun making moves to set the team up for the upcoming season. The franchise tag was given to wide receiver Tee Higgins last week.
A franchise tag keeps Higgins from hitting the open market this offseason, and gives him and the team a chance to agree on a long-term deal. This year's franchise tag number for wide receivers is expected to be $21.8 million.
The news also means the trio of Higgins, Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase will play together for at least one more season.
