A little over a year ago I was interviewing orthopedic surgeon Jeffrey Kutsikovich, M.D. about the wrist injury Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was still recovering from. It was the second season-ending injury Burrow had suffered in just four years quarterbacking the Bengals, and it clouded another one of his offseasons.
There's almost always been something Burrow has dealt with in the lead up to the season. He was a rookie having to go through the uncharted COVID-19 waters in 2020. His catastrophic knee injury disrupted most of 2021. Straining his calf in the beginning of training camp in 2023. Gaining normalcy with his throwing wrist in 2024.
2025, so far, is a refreshing change of pace. Burrow is completely healthy, which makes the Bengals' life, his life, and his trainer's life all the more simpler.
Dak Notestine has been training Burrow since when he was still a resident of Athens, Ohio. All of Burrow's injury comebacks have been worked through with his guidance. He would know better than anyone where the 28-year old is currently at in his preparation for the upcoming season, and he told Bengals.com's Geoff Hobson this year's training has been made straightforward due to his health.
"This offseason was a little easier on me because there's been less we had to build him up from," Notestine said.
Burrow closing the 2024 season as healthy as possible made his transition to offseason work easier than in past years. No rehab work for any of his ligaments, and no ongoing recovery.
Nothing to get in the way of becoming an even better version of himself. For Notestine, that involves improving his movement abilities even more.
"This offseason, what we've done so far is do a little more mimicry of positions he'll find himself in during a game and things he thinks could be tuned up," Notestine said. "He's trying to put himself in athletic positions so he can be the athlete that he is. Sometimes, even though he's had some amazing plays and clearly shown the ability to escape, people see him more as a thrower. Not that he wants to change his game at all, but I just think he likes the athleticism of being able to make guys miss."
Last year's Burrow still earned MVP votes despite dealing with a throwing wrist that didn't totally feel normal. Now that he's over a year removed from surgery, he can simply build off that campaign without having to start from scratch.
It's great news for the man who oversees his training, and even better news for the people who oversee him when he's in full uniform.
Burrow and the Bengals are back to work Tuesday for the start of OTAs. Mandatory minicamp will run from June 10-12.
