Joe Burrow explains what equipment is in his cleat that helps his toe

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow defied the odds after he first learned that he suffered a Grade 3 turf toe injury on Sept. 14 that would likely sideline him for a minimum of three months.

Burrow’s original timeline gave him a mid-December return if everything went as planned.

But as he’s done for the majority of his football career, Burrow overcame yet another challenge. He surprisingly returned to practice on Nov. 10 and played his first game on Nov. 27.

When he returned to the field, he did so with new equipment in his cleat.

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Burrow said on Dec. 3 that when he’s playing, his cleat has a carbon fiber plate and a custom orthotic in it to help protect his toe.

The carbon fiber plate and orthotic prevent his shoe from bending. Right now, Burrow said, it’s too early for his toe to go backward. These two pieces of equipment ensure Burrow’s toe has the protection necessary.

It’s not comfortable for Burrow, though. Cincinnati’s franchise quarterback said as much and explained his process of managing the discomfort.

When Burrow isn’t on the field, he takes the cleat off to alleviate the pain, and puts on a sneaker. Burrow was spotted taking his cleat off while sitting on the sidelines of Cincinnati’s most recent game against the Baltimore Ravens on Nov. 27.

Burrow explained how he came up with this plan and why it helps him.

“I take it off throughout practice every now and then, just to let it breathe and let it relax a little bit,” Burrow said. “And these (sneakers) are what I put on, so I figured I'd just keep it the same.”

The toe injury forced Burrow to wear a different style of cleats as well. Burrow said he needs cleats that provide enough space for the two pieces of equipment.

“These (cleats) are the ones that I feel like give me enough space and stability to do what I need to do,” Burrow said.

When Burrow is at his house, he said, he walks around with no shoes and prefers to be barefoot. He tries to be in his new cleats as little as possible.

It took Burrow some time to figure out what was comfortable enough for him to play at a high level. The entire process from recovering from toe surgery to figuring out what he needed from a support standpoint in his shoe has been a journey.

“It was certainly a process to figure out what worked best for me and what was most comfortable and at the same time (is) safe,” he said. “But, we worked through that, and a lot of different people were involved, and we got the right stuff.”

Burrow said he will wear these cleats for at least the remainder of the season and potentially in the future.

Most important, the equipment in Burrow’s cleat works. He’s yet to suffer any setbacks since he returned and said his toe “feels great.”

These two pieces of equipment in Burrow’s cleats give him stability and confidence. With five games to go in the regular season and an uphill battle to try and make the playoffs, the Bengals are depending on Burrow and his magic cleats.

“We have everything in front of us. We just have to take care of business,” Burrow said.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Joe Burrow explains what equipment is in his cleat that helps his toe