The Bengals are set to retain the top two names on their quarterback depth chart. The team is re-signing backup Brandon Allen on a one-year contract, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (Twitter link).
Pelissero notes that Allen “was Cincinnati’s top choice” to serve as Joe Burrow‘s No. 2, so the move shouldn’t come as a surprise. The 29-year-old has been with the Bengals for the past two seasons after he spent one year in Denver. He’s made a total of nine starts in his career, going 2-7 while completing 56.2% of his passes. The former sixth-round pick has thrown 10 touchdowns and six interceptions.
In his time in Cincinnati, the numbers look slightly better. Allen’s completion percentage sits at 60.8% with the Bengals, and his passer rating is 82. While he doesn’t seem destined to find a starting role in the NFL, the former Razorback has clearly pleased the Bengals enough for him to be their preference as a backup.
Before the deal was announced, the Bengals still had just under $13M in cap space to work with. That should leave them the flexibility to make at least one more noteworthy signing to augment the roster of last season’s AFC-winning team. In any event, they will at least carry over the same quarterbacks that they had that season into 2022.
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