Following their Thursday Night Football loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the Cincinnati Bengals were devastated to learn that their star quarterback, Joe Burrow, would be sidelined for the entire season due to a wrist injury. According to Ian Rapoport, Burrow left the game against the Ravens early and will now miss the rest of the 2023 NFL season due to a torn ligament.
Burrow was replaced by Jake Browning on Thursday night after he left the game. In relief of Burrow, Browning went 8-for-15 for 68 yards and one touchdown pass. Browning played his first NFL regular season game that season. Even though Burrow was obviously not fully recovered from his calf injury at the beginning of the regular season, the Bengals surprisingly never looked for a seasoned backup behind him. Maybe the Bengals have enough faith in Browning’s ability within the team to pass on signing a starter in free agency.
With Burrow out for the season, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Bengals look into free-agent quarterback options given Browning’s inexperience and Cincinnati’s continued chances of making the playoffs.
These are the top three Joe Burrow replacement choices in Cincinnati for the remainder of the season, should Cincinnati decide to take that course.
Joe Flacco, who worked out for the Cleveland Browns on Friday following Deshaun Watson’s season-ending announcement, appears open to returning to the NFL. The Bengals would be wise to sign Flacco for a number of reasons, including the fact that he started four games for the Jets last season, which puts him in more playing time than some of the other well-known quarterbacks that are available in free agency.
More importantly, Joe Flacco’s tenure in Baltimore gave him years of experience playing in the AFC North. With two games left against Pittsburgh and the season finale against the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati’s veteran quarterback may find that his on-field experience playing against the Steelers and Browns will help him adjust more quickly.
In addition, Flacco has Super Bowl experience, which should help the veteran team surrounding him. Adding a veteran like Flacco, who can effectively manage the game and still throw deep balls to Ja’Marr Chase, seems like a perfect fit, especially considering his extensive knowledge of the division (and the Bengals). The main issue is that Flacco lacks pocket mobility, which is very different from Burrow’s style of play. Flacco is a reliable, experienced quarterback option, though there would be a transition period.
