The Cincinnati Bengals are dealing with another concerning injury for their elite starting quarterback, Joe Burrow.
Can they afford to waste another season while Burrow is on the shelf long-term, this time with a toe ailment?
Although long-time top backup Jake Browning (21-of-32, 241 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs) was ready to keep the team winning again despite his mistakes in Sunday's wild 31-27 home win over the Jaguars to improve the team to 2-0 the Bengals might need to be more aggressive in looking for Burrow's replacement for three months, or most of the 2025 season.
MORE: How long is Joe Burrow out with toe injury?
Here are the most favorable options to fill in for Burrow for an extended stretch:
Bengals' best replacements for Joe Burrow
Jake Browning
Browning was solid in 9 games, replacing Burrow in 2023. He completed a league-high 70.4 percent of his pass attempts for 1,936 yards at 8 yards per attempt. He had 12 TDs to 7 INTs for an efficient passer rating of 98.4
The team also went 4-3 in his seven starts and finished 9-8 that season, just missing the playoffs. Browning appeared in only three games last season with Burrow healthy, with zero stats to show for it.
Browning knows Zac Taylor's offense well, given his experience, and has played a lot more than most backup QBs. He isn't the worst option, but he also isn't necessarily the best.
Kirk Cousins
The free-agent well is rather empty for legitimate replacements who could be an upgrade over Browning. But Cousins, through both the Minnesota Vikings and the Atlanta Falcons, has played in a different Los Angeles Rams-adjacent offense of late, playing well into what Taylor, a former Sean McVay assistant, operates for Burrow.
Cousins is in no danger of replacing Burrow beyond 2025 but still has something left to prove in what could be his final season at age 37 (a la Aaron Rodgers, a couple years removed from a torn Achilles' in Pittsburgh).
MORE: Why Kirk Cousins is stuck behind Michael Penix Jr. on Falcons
The Falcons should be willing to take a reasonable deal for Cousins, including eating much of his contract, to free Michael Penix Jr. for good, while Cousins should be more than willing to take a key winning turn.
Jameis Winston
Winston has proved he can work well in an aggressive passing game with two top wide receivers (see the Tampa Bay Buccaneers). He will be a roller-coaster with turnovers but he can keep the downfield passing game going well. He also would be a fine locker-room presence to lift spirits for a team used to seeing Burrow go down.
The Giants should want to move him to clear Jaxson Dart into true No. 2 status behind Russell Wilson and vice versa, when Dart starts.
Andy Dalton
Dalton was there for the beginning of the Taylor era, a rough 2019 season before the team was positioned to draft Burrow No. 1 overall in 2020.
Although Dalton is a key backup for Bryce Young, the Panthers could also give Young a full last shot on his own to see whether they need to completely move on from the No. 1 overall pick.
MORE: Ranking top NFL QBs in 2025
Jimmy Garoppolo
The Rams might be willing to part with Garoppolo now that Matthew Stafford looks strong with his back injury. He also now has obvious experience in a McVay system so he could handle executing the loaded Bengals passing game.
The question really is whether Browning is now the better QB at this point, making him the last of the reasonable options.