Bengals sign Penn State record holder amid injury to Joe Burrow

Matt Sullivan

•
Bengals sign Penn State record holder amid injury to Joe Burrow image

After week two of the 2025 NFL season, a lot of starting quarterbacks went down with an injury. None was as important as the loss of Joe Burrow, the Cincinnati Bengals' quarterback.

He's expected to miss at least three months, creating a huge need in the Bengals quarterback room. While they have Jake Browning as the likely starter, the team needed to add more depth to the quarterback room.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Bengals are bringing in a former Penn State Nittany Lions record holder to bolster the quarterback room. That quarterback is Penn State's Sean Clifford.

Bengals bring in Sean Clifford amid Joe Burrow's injury

Burrow is slated to be out for some time, and to help rebuild the quarterback room, the Bengals made a couple of moves on Tuesday morning. They brought in Mike White, a journeyman quarterback who's made some NFL starts, as well as adding Clifford to the practice squad.

Clifford has an uphill battle to make the active roster, and likely won't see a start for the Bengals this season, but it's a much better situation than sitting as a free agent. This is the exact scenario for a quarterback like Clifford to get a chance.

The former Penn State legend had set multiple school records during his time in college. Clifford finished his Penn State career as the school's leader in wins as a starting quarterback with 32, along with a slew of other statistics as a passer.

Clifford has the best completion percentage (.614), the most completions (833), passing yards with 10,661, and passing touchdowns at 86. He's also the leader in total yards with 11,734 and pass attempts at 1,356.

MORE: Penn State alum Keegan-Michael Key sends Drew Allar 'positive vibes' ahead of 2025 season

In the 2023 NFL draft, Clifford was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round at pick 149. In his NFL career, he's only recorded three rushing attempts for negative two yards. He's not thrown a pass in the NFL regular season, though he's played in the preseason the last few years.

But now, after being waived by the Packers ahead of the 2025 NFL season, he's signing on with the Bengals to add to their quarterback room in the wake of Burrow's long-term injury.

Clifford has a ways to go before making an impact for the Bengals, but it's another opportunity in the NFL for one of the best quarterbacks in Penn State Nittany Lions history.

MORE NCAAF NEWS:

Matt Sullivan

Matt Sullivan is a freelance writer for The Sporting News, predominantly covering MLB. Matt is a native of Pennsylvania and has worked with Athlon Sports, Last Word on Sports, and other outlets.