Joe Burrow 2021 NFL Comeback Player of the Year odds, season props: Bengals quarterback struggling in camp, will not play in preseason opener vs. Bucs

It's an annual tradition that Player X or Player Y looks "fabulous" in training camp because beat writers are now so limited in what they are allowed to see – teams control the narrative. When is the last time you heard a big-name player really struggling in camp? That's what makes the news out of Bengals camp so unusual because the consensus of those covering the team is that former No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow is really scuffling. He is a +600 second-favorite at Caesars Sportsbook to win NFL Comeback Player of the Year.

Burrow says he feels fine physically regarding recovering from a torn ACL and MCL last November that cut his otherwise terrific rookie season short but that his struggles are a mental thing.

"I'm just getting back used to playing football again against top-level competition," the former Heisman Trophy winner said this week. "It's just getting more comfortable in the pocket. That's the last step for me, just get my pocket presence back and understanding when I'm pressured and when I'm not. Just getting that whole feeling back that I've been really good at for a long time."

The lone Bengals player to win Comeback Player of the Year – Cowboys QB Dak Prescott is the +180 favorite – was QB Jon Kitna in 2003. For what it's worth, Tom Brady tore his ACL and MCL in 2008 and the next season was Comeback Player of the Year. I'm not saying Burrow is Brady.

Caesars is giving Burrow Over/Under season totals of 4,150.5 yards passing and 26.5 touchdowns. He had 2,688 yards and 13 TDs last year in 10 games (was hurt in the 10th) and that would equate around 4,570 yards and 22 TDs.

Cincinnati has an Over/Under win total of 6.5 and if that goes Under, then Coach Zac Taylor, he of the current 6-25-1 record, almost surely will not return in 2022. The Bengals are +1200 to finish with the league's worst record overall, which is unlikely unless Burrow gets hurt early in the season.

His backup is Brandon Allen, who will start the preseason opener Saturday at Tampa Bay. Kyle Shurmur and Eric Dungey at the other QBs on the roster. It's not clear if Taylor will let Burrow play at all in the preseason even though Burrow wants to. Cincinnati opens the regular season Sept. 12 at home vs. Minnesota.

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