The Cincinnati Bengals have been in a world of hurt at quarterback since Joe Burrow suffered a turf toe injury in Week 2 that will keep him sidelined for at least three months. The Bengals have scored just 13 points in their last two games, losses to the Minnesota Vikings and Denver Broncos.
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Backup quarterback Jake Browning has struggled in relief of Burrow. He’s thrown for 506 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions. The offense’s issues at quarterback are threatening the chances that the Bengals will play meaningful football by the time Burrow is ready to return from his injury.
During his news conference on Wednesday, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor was asked if he felt the team needed to bring in another quarterback to compete with Browning amid the backup’s poor results in recent weeks. Taylor ultimately pointed the finger at the director of player personnel, Duke Tobin, to decide what the Bengals do at quarterback.
“I think with every position we are always assessing,” Taylor said via Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. “That’s Duke’s job. That is the personnel department. They do a great job of that. Presenting us options when Joe went down of other guys we could bring in the room as well. We thoroughly exhaust that.”
The Bengals front office chose not to make an immediate trade or signing for a better backup after Burrow’s injury, keeping Browning and Brett Rypien on the active roster. Browning played well enough in Week 2 to lead the Bengals to a game-winning touchdown drive on their final possession against the Jacksonville Jaguars. But Cincinnati has been outscored 76-13 since.
Despite his last two outings, Taylor has an “unwavering” belief Browning can still win games for the Bengals this season.
“I’ve got a ton of confidence in Jake,” Taylor said. “I’m unwavering in that. I’ve seen the best of Jake. I know we can do a great job supporting him to where he can go win games for us. I feel extremely confident in Jake Browning.”
Browning has a pair of challenging defenses to play in the coming weeks. Cincinnati will host the 3-1 Detroit Lions in Week 5 before traveling to play star defensive end Micah Parsons and the 3-1 Green Bay Packers in Week 6. The Bengals will have to reassess where they stand at quarterback after playing postseason competitors before the trade deadline on Nov. 4.
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