Jake Browning just made Bengals immediate decision at QB easy

The Cincinnati Bengals' projections for the 2025 season took a massive hit once Joe Burrow suffered a turf toe injury. Then, it was determined that Burrow needed surgery that would sideline him for three months. That meant the Bengals had to come up with a plan on how to replace Burrow, and fast. Head coach Zac Taylor announced they were going to go with backup Jake Browning as the starter.

Browning has history of filling in for the Bengals and picking up some wins. But last week, Browning put up a poor showing against the Minnesota Vikings. He had the chance to rebound and get the Bengals back into the win column against the Denver Broncos.

It wasn't even close for the Bengals, as they lost 28-3 to the Broncos. After a promising opening drive, the offense with Browning at the helm stalled out for the remainder of the night. Browning completed 14-of-25 passes for just 125 yards. Overall, the Bengals had just 159 yards of offense on 43 plays, compared to the Broncos' 512 yards on 80 plays.

Now, the Bengals fall to 2-2 on the year, and their schedule is only getting tougher, as they take on the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers in back-to-back weeks. The decision is an easy one for the Bengals, and that's to bench Browning and explore the trade market for a viable starter until Burrow comes back.

Bengals must bench Jake Browning and explore trade market for starting QB

Yes, the trade deadline for the Bengals isn't until Nov. 5, but the Bengals really can't afford to wait. The AFC North is still very much up for grabs. The Baltimore Ravens are struggling mightily so far this year. The Pittsburgh Steelers are winning games, but they are a vulnerable team to beat. The Bengals need to bring in a quarterback as soon as possible to learn Taylor's playbook and help the team pick up wins.

Luckily for the Bengals, there are quarterbacks available on the trade block.

The first name on the list is Kirk Cousins, who has been benched as Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback since last season.

During the offseason, Cousins expressed a desire to go to a team in need of a starting quarterback, as the Falcons pivoted to Michael Penix Jr. But during the summer, there were no teams with openings. Sure, Cousins isn't the most successful playoff or primetime quarterback, but he is good enough to lead a team to the playoffs. Imagine what he can do with Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins?

The New York Giants have two quarterbacks that could be attained in Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston. Head coach Brian Daboll has handed the reins to rookie Jaxson Dart, who led the team to an upset win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

Wilson might be a tough sell for Bengals fans, considering how bad he looked against the Washington Commanders and Kansas City Chiefs this season. But, he did throw for over 450 yards against the Dallas Cowboys. Could that be enticing enough for the Bengals?

As for Winston, he may throw plenty of turnovers, but he will make games exciting. Plus, he is under contract for the 2026 season, so he could be a top backup plan for the Bengals.

It's truly up to the Bengals who they prefer, but if they want to maintain ground near the top of the division, they need to send Browning back to the bench, because the experiment simply isn't working.