Backup QBs take center stage with five making starts in Week 3, including Bengals' Jake Browning

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Cincinnati lost star quarterback Joe Burrow for at least three months when he suffered a toe injury in Week 2, a crushing loss that could send any team into a tailspin.

The Bengals, however, made no calls on veteran trade candidates this past week. They simply handed the ball to Jake Browning and moved forward.

“Jake is an example of someone who’s truly prepared for a moment,” head coach Zac Taylor said in the lead up to his team’s Week 3 game against the Minnesota Vikings. “So that’s where his confidence stems from. And now you just go play football.”

If history is any indicator, Cincy will be just fine with Browning under center.

Browning went 4-3 as a starter in 2023 when Burrow missed the remainder of the season following a November wrist injury. Burrow had surgery on Friday on his Grade 3 turf toe and is out a minimum of 12 weeks, sources say.

Burrow is unable to travel for at least the first two weeks of his rehab, but he is expected to be around the team and involved. Burrow could potentially return in December if the Bengals’ record warrants it, and if his rehab goes perfectly.

As for Browning, he’s playing for more than just his team and a coveted spot in the AFC playoffs. He finds himself in a unique contractual situation.

At 29 years old, despite signing as an undrafted free agent following the 2019 draft, he’s only now nearly eligible to be a restricted free agent. Browning will be an RFA after this season, and he’ll have his first opportunity to sign a lucrative contract, giving Cincy an interesting decision. The options will be to give him an original-round tender (worth about $3.4 million this year), a second-round tender ($5.33 million) or a first-round tender (worth $7.5 million). If another team signs him away, the Bengals would receive a draft pick at the level of the compensation.

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It’s possible, if Browning establishes himself as a potential starter for someone in 2026, he would command the first-round tender.

The Bengals could also sign him to an extension, as the Bears did when they inked backup Tyson Bagent to a two-year, $10 million deal in August.

Browning has had to wait for this opportunity because he played on practice squads from 2019 to 2021. With only limited practice squad elevations, Browning accumulated no accrued seasons until 2023.

He’s now accrued two seasons as Cincy’s backup. This year makes three.

It’s a rarity for a player his age, but Browning has worked his way into an opportunity to cash in.

A few years ago, Browning told Adam Dedeaux, his throwing guru from 3DQB, that he wanted to emulate Burrow’s on-field demeanor. Sunday begins another opportunity to prove it.

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