Identifying Cincinnati Bengals Options at QB Following Joe Burrow Injury

The Cowboys cut Greier after trading for Trey Lance in 2023, leading the Bengals to sign him to their practice squad in August 2023 while Joe Burrow was dealing with his calf injury.

The Patriots signed Grier, 30, to their 53-man roster a couple of weeks later.  

A third-round pick 2019, Greier has made two career starts – both with the Panthers in 2019.

Bailey Zappe, Browns

A fourth-round pick of the Patriots in 2022, Zappe has appeared in 15 games while going 4-5 as a starter.

Zappe, 26, has completed 62.1 percent of his passes with 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

Snoop Huntley, Ravens

The quarterback who triggered Sam Hubbard’s Fumble in the Jungle, Huntley has appeared in 25 games with 14 starts, going 5-9.

Plucking an AFC North rival always has added benefit, especially when he plays for the team that has won back-to-back division titles.

Huntley, 27, has completed 64.6 percent of his passes with 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Trevor Siemian, Titans

Siemian said “thanks but no thanks” when the Bengals reached out to him during Burrow’s calf ordeal, just weeks after cutting him.

Would the 32-year-old have a change of heart if Cincinnati came calling again?

He was willing to join Brian Callahan in Tennessee as a practice squad player.

Siemian has appeared in 40 games with 33 starts, going 15-18.

He’s completed just 58.5 percent of his passes with 44 touchdowns and 32 interceptions.

C.J. Beathard, Lions

Another quarterback on a team facing the Bengals in the near future (Detroit visits Paycor Oct. 5), Beathard was a third-round pick in 2017 and has appeared in 32 games.

The 31-year-old is 3-10 as a starter, but those were on some bad teams.

He has completed 60.4 percent of his passes with 19 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

Jeff Driskel, Raiders

The former Bengals quarterback is 32 and has appeared in 25 games with 12 starts, going 12-10.

He was 1-4 in Cincinnati, but that was in the disastrous final season of Marvin Lewis’ tenure in 2018 when there wasn’t much winning happening.

Driskel has completed 58.6 percent of his passes with 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

He brought a running element to the game as a younger man, but that likely wouldn’t be in play as much today

Looking at non-practice options on other 53-man rosters, the Browns and Steelers are both flush with quarterbacks, but the odds of an in-division trade are slim, as the likelihood the Bengals would interest in rookies such as Dillon Gabriel, Shedeur Sanders or Will Howard.

And Steelers veteran Skylar Thompson (and Howard) are currently on IR.

There are two veterans buried on their depth chart with lots of experience.

Jameis Winston, Giants

Behind Russell Wilson and rookie Jaxson Dart, Winston was the No. 1 pick in 2015 and has appeared in 105 games with 87 starts, going 36-51.

He’s complete 61.2 percent of his passes with 154 touchdowns and 111 interceptions.

Winston, 31, is a boom-or-bust option on the field, but he brings the type of experience the Bengals could use in the quarterback meetings.

Winston is due $2 million in base salary this year. He's under contract for $4 million in 2026, but there is a team "out" option that would come with $2.3 million in dead money.

Case Keenum, Bears

The 37-year-old is a career backup with just 66 starts in his 13 seasons in the league.

He’s gone 30-36 while throwing 79 touchdowns and 51 interceptions.

Keenum has a $1.3 million base salary this year and will be a free agent in 2026.

Josh Johnson, Commanders

Another former Bengals quarterback, Johnson was with the team in 2013.

The 39-year-old has made just nine career starts, going 1-8 with 13 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.

But there is something to be said for how much he’s seen and heard in the league. And if anything happens to Browning, the chances of any quarterback saving the season are slim.

Johnson has a $1.3 million base salary this year and will be a free agent in 2026.