Bengals remain confident in backup QB Jake Browning, have not had trade talks for veteran

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It’s safe to say the two games following star quarterback Joe Burrow‘s toe injury have not gone according to plan for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Two games started by Jake Browning have resulted in two blowout losses to the Minnesota Vikings and Denver Broncos, respectively.

Yet inside the Bengals building, they remain confident in their backup QB.

“Unwavering” is how head coach Zac Taylor described his confidence this past week ahead of Sunday’s game against the Lions.

To that end: The Bengals have not had trade talks for any veteran to come in and start, sources say. Not the Giants’ Russell Wilson or the Falcons’ Kirk Cousins or anyone in between.

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The plan is to roll with Browning for the foreseeable future. As for why, it’s simple: They’ve seen him succeed. They watched Browning lead the team to a 4-3 record in 2023 in place of an injured Burrow, and there is confidence he could do it again.

Browning threw two picks against a nasty Vikings defense in Week 3 and completed just 56 percent of his passes for 125 yards against the Broncos in Week 4. Against Minnesota, it was the turnovers. Last week, the penalties. Both were below the level he and the whole offense played in 2023 when he started seven games.

That year, he completed 70% of his passes and had 12 touchdowns against 7 interceptions.

It wasn’t perfect, but it got the team through.

The focus moving forward? Knock out the unforced errors and rely on the foundation Browning has built. Get the ball to the team’s playmakers — receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins — while putting Browning in position to do it. Perhaps more play-action. Maybe move him around and utilize the screen game.

It sounds like the response in practice this week was a good one.

Even with the options out there, the Bengals believe their best is in the building.

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