The Cincinnati Bengals are in a bad way right now and it doesn't look like Jake Browning is going to save them.
Superstar quarterback Joe Burrow is out indefinitely with a Grade 3 turf toe injury and the Bengals have lost each of their last two games thanks to massive struggles from Browning.
Browning had a bad game in Week 3 against the Minnesota Vikings, and he was even worse in Week 4 versus the Denver Broncos. As a result, it feels like the Bengals' season is on life support, even with a 2-2 record.
On Wednesday, head coach Zac Taylor announced that he has not lost faith in the backup quarterback despite his issues over his first two starts and it's quite clear nothing is changing in Cincinnati.
“I have a ton of confidence in Jake. I’m unwavering in that," Taylor said, per ESPN's Ben Baby.
The Bengals did win the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars when Browning was subbed in for the injured Burrow in the first half, but he wasn't good in that game, either, as he threw three picks in the contest.
While Browning is clearly going to get more time to right the ship, the Bengals need to at least explore what's out there, even though those options are not great.
Three signal-callers who could be available ahead of the trade deadline are the Atlanta Falcons' Kirk Cousins, the New York Giants' Russell Wilson and the Cleveland Browns' Joe Flacco.
Flacco and Wilson were benched for Dillon Gabriel and Jaxson Dart, respectively, and both are now expendable. However, neither one has looked good this season. That said, they remain the most likely candidates for the Bengals to trade for.
As for Cousins, he is riding the pine after getting benched for Michael Penix Jr. in 2024, although there are plenty of roadblocks to acquiring him, including money, a no-trade clause and the fact that he looked like a shell of himself last season.
Despite the issues with the three aforementioned quarterbacks, the Bengals need to give themselves another option before the season goes completely off the rails.
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