Sportsnaut
A potentially dangerous situation took a turn for the worse on Monday night when Jake Browning led the Cincinnati Bengals to their second loss in a row. Browning’s performances have gone from bad to worse.
Most recently, Browning completed 14 of 25 passes for 125 scoreless yards in a 28-3 blowout loss to the Broncos. His 6% interception rate leads the NFL, with a pick rate that’s over twice as frequent as Bo Nix, who ranks seventh in the NFL.
If the Bengals truly plan on competing for a playoff spot, they’ll need a quarterback who can deliver better results. To do so, they may need to trade for a player not currently on the roster.
Recently, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported that “chatter” of the Bengals trading a fifth-round pick for Russell Wilson emerged. Obviously, that deal didn’t materialize last week.
However, after Jaxson Dart impressed in his starting debut, the Giants may feel more inclined to trade Wilson or fellow backup Jameis Winston. Yet, since Winston is also under contract next season, the Giants may prefer to trade Wilson instead.
Either way, trading a fifth-round pick is well worth the risk for the Bengals. While it may take a couple of weeks for Wilson or Winston to get up to speed, the alternative could include watching their season slip away.
If a fifth-round pick is all it takes to potentially save Cincinnati’s season after witnessing a 2-0 start quickly morph into a 2-2 record, then the Bengals don’t have much to lose. Plus, chances are either quarterback would welcome a change of scenery, especially if it means getting to throw to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
Related: Week 5 NFL QB Rankings: The Real Patrick Mahomes Emerges
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