Sportsnaut
Despite a 2-0 start, the Cincinnati Bengals‘ season just took a wild turn. For the third time in six seasons, Joe Burrow will miss a significant chunk of the year. This time, Burrow’s turf toe injury will require surgery that will knock him out of action for roughly three months.
While Jake Browning has led Cincinnati to a 5-3 record while replacing Burrow, the Bengals need more than one healthy quarterback on the roster. So, who should the Bengals add to fill out the depth chart?
Is he the most exciting option? No. But the Bengals aren’t chasing excitement with their backup quarterback here. Considering Browning knows the offense best, has pre-existing chemistry with Ja’Marr Chase and company, he’ll continue to be the Bengals’ starting QB.
However, if the Bengals want another backup with a great amount of experience, they may not find a better solution than Heinicke. The 32-year-old has made 29 starts in his career, leading his teams to a 13-15-1 record. Heinicke does not have a big arm, but he’s the type of QB who will take care of the football and do whatever he can to put his team in position to win.
We don’t imagine the Bengals wanting to part with any trade capital to find a backup quarterback who has no real long-term future with the team. Since Browning is the veteran starter, signing a quarterback who may still have some untapped potential could make sense. If so, bringing back 2022 third-round pick Desmond Ridder could make some sense.
Still just 26, the 6-foot-4 QB brings 18 games of NFL starting experience to the table, but he’s never had a stable of weapons like Cincinnati has. With an interception rate of just 2.4%, Ridder may be another QB whose supporting cast can help elevate his play. Plus, after spending training camp and preseason with Cincinnati, his learning curve should be shorter than his peers.
If the Bengals want to capitalize on their 2-0 start and feel like Browning may not be an ideal replacement, then perhaps rescuing Kirk Cousins from the Atlanta Falcons makes sense. On a bloated salary with a $40 million cap hit, the Bengals may need to move some money around to add the four-time Pro Bowler. We can’t imagine the type of numbers an accurate passer like Cousins could put up in Cincinnati, but a porous offensive line could be an issue for the 37-year-old with limited mobility.
Another veteran free agent, Mike White is a 30-year-old who has bounced around to every team in the AFC East except the New England Patriots. While he certainly knows the AFC landscape, the 6-foot-5 former fifth-round pick only has seven games of starting experience. Adding him wouldn’t make any headlines, but White is the type of valued backup who could help elevate the QB room by helping Browning prepare on a weekly basis. Just don’t expect...
