Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco (16) throws a pass in the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 7 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025. The Bengals won, 33-31. Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Cincinnati Bengals Make Move at Quarterback as Joe Flacco Deals With Shoulder Injury

Originally posted on Cincinnati Bengals on SI
By James Rapien | Last updated Oct 31, 2025 3:00 PM ET

Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco is officially questionable for Sunday's game against the Bears.

Flacco is dealing with an AC joint sprain in his throwing shoulder. He practiced on Thursday.

"Good, everything went well," Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said on Friday afternoon. "I thought he did a nice job out there. I saw what we would hope to see for a guy to be able to play on Sunday. Now we’ll just work through the next few days to see where it ends up."

Flacco talked with reporters after Friday's practice, confirming that his throwing session on Thursday went well.

"I was happy with how it went," Flacco said. "The idea was treatment and get as much of that as possible to get it feeling as good as possible and go from there."

If Flacco cannot start on Sunday or if he can't finish the game, the Bengals have an emergency option in place. They signed Sean Clifford to the 53-man roster on Friday. Clifford joined the Bengals' practice squad on Sept. 16. By adding him to the roster, he's eligible to be Cincinnati's emergency third quarterback on Sunday against the Bears without counting against their 46-man active players.

If Clifford is named the emergency third quarterback, he would only be able to enter the game if Flacco and backup Jake Browning couldn't play due to injuries.

The Bengals also activated defensive end Cedric Johnson. The second-year pass rusher is set to make his 2025 debut. He's been dealing with a calf injury since August, but returned to practice on Oct. 22.

With Trey Hendrickson (hip) doubtful to play, getting Johnson back is big news for a Bengals' defense that has struggled in recent weeks.

The Bengals picked Johnson in the sixth round (214th overall) in the 2024 NFL Draft. He appeared in nine games, finishing with seven tackles and one sack as a rookie.

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