Cincinnati Bengals’ star quarterback Joe Burrow faces a tough recovery path after being sidelined with a turf toe injury. According to former NFL wide receiver Joey Galloway, it is one of the most painful and nagging injuries in football.
On Monday’s edition of the new podcast “Nonstop” with Kirk Herbstreit, Galloway shared his own battles with turf toe. “It sounds like a hangnail,” Galloway said, referencing the injury that plagued former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Jack Lambert, a player he admired growing up.
Galloway described turf toe as a “killer” injury that makes every push-off painful. He revealed that during his career, he wore heavy boots to protect his toe and avoid the excruciating pain turf toe caused when pushing off.
The former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver added:
“When I saw this about Joe Burrow, I was like, ‘Oh, please tell me this is not.’ And then I saw the three months. I was like, ‘Holy crap.’ And I know people think, ‘Hey, you can have three months and you can get an ACL repaired.’ That’s how serious turf toe is. And I feel unfortunate for Joe Burrow.”
The Bengals quarterback’s injury threatens to disrupt the team’s offensive plans. Around the NFL, there is a consensus that if Cincinnati hopes to compete for a Super Bowl this season, most of its success hinges on Burrow’s leadership. Losing him is a huge setback.
But the Bengals can’t afford to dwell on the loss. The hope now is that backup quarterback Jake Browning can steady the ship.
