2025 Bengals Breakdown: The Quarterbacks

For one, the Bengals need to make sure he isn’t forced to carry the team. While he plays best under pressure and “win or go home” moments, the team would do well to make sure it isn’t needed every single week. Burrow only threw nine interceptions, and two came in the beatdown win over the Titans. There is one area he needs to improve: fumbles.

Last year, Burrow fumbled the ball 11 times, trailing only Kirk Cousins and Baker Mayfield (13 each). Thankfully, he only lost five, but his fumble against the Chiefs was returned for a touchdown, giving Kansas City the lead. In the Week 13 loss to the Steelers, Burrow fumbled twice, resulting in a scoop and score and a field goal. Given, in that loss, he also threw a pick-six.

This offense goes as Burrow does. Will he replicate last year’s success? It all depends on how well the guards and the defense are improved. If the defense is still weak, Burrow will have to carry the team, kicking and screaming, again. Anything better than last year would be a weight off his shoulders.

Break in Case of Emergency

Burrow took 1,132 of the offense’s 1,137 total snaps. Jake Browning took those five and handed it off three times. Last year, thankfully, Browning was just holding the Microsoft Surface and handing out handshakes and “atta boy”s. In a successful season, the number-two quarterback is never called upon. In the Burrow era, it was the first time that he was the only one to attempt a pass. It was also just the third fully healthy season (give or take).

Browning has shown that he can take up the mantle if called upon. The Bengals scraped together a 9-8 season in 2023 thanks to Browning. Including the Week 10 loss with Burrow’s injury, Browning posted a 4-4 record. Two of those losses (Steelers and Chiefs) were by one score, and they were in position to win. In total, he contributed 1,936 yards and 12 touchdowns while completing 70.4% of his passes.

Browning is a very solid backup. While he isn’t quite at the level of Burrow when it comes to post-snap processing, he can quarterback an offense. Plus, with the weapons at his disposal, his job is made significantly easier. If anything ever happens to Burrow, the Bengals can still run their offense through Browning.

Camp Arms

There’s a slight possibility that the Bengals carry three quarterbacks. It’s an incredibly slim possibility, but it’s there.

To start, Logan Woodside is back in town. The Bengals drafted Woodside out of Toledo in 2018. He was waived prior to the regular season as the team trimmed the roster only a few months after he was arrested for a DUI. He’s since bounced around the NFL, appearing in games for the Tennessee Titans and Atlanta Falcons. Between those stints, he started for the San Antonio Commanders for the now-defunct AAF. Woodside posted a 5-3 record while passing for 1,385 yards and seven touchdowns.

Battling with him will be rookie UDFA Payton Thorne. He spent his last two seasons with the Auburn Tigers where he threw for 4,468 yards and 37 touchdowns as the starter. Before that, Thorne quarterbacked Michigan State for three seasons and was the starter for two. In his time with the Spartans, he threw for 6,493 yards and 49 touchdowns.

He had a strong redshirt freshman season with 3,232 yards and 27 touchdowns. Thorne provides a little more when it comes to running, with over 1,000 rushing attempts in his collegiate career.

The battle to be the practice squad quarterback is not going to be what most people focus on this training camp. That doesn’t mean it’s not noteworthy. Will the Bengals go with the brand-new face or the guy who’s been around the block?

Even with the uncertainty at QB3, which is not a problem, the Bengals quarterback room is solid with Burrow and Browning.