After three games of watching quarterback Jake Browning struggle to move the chains and hit open receivers, the Cincinnati Bengals could be motivated to find a better stopgap passer to get them to December until Joe Burrow can return from his Grade 3 turf toe injury.
Browning, who went 4-3 as the team’s starter with 1,936 yards passing, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions while filling in for Burrow back in 2023, has been a humbling disappointment so far.
In his three appearances, Browning has just three touchdowns and five interceptions, and he’s thrown for 140 yards or less in two of them.
With a key stretch in their schedule coming up that features matchups against the Detroit Lions (Week 5), Green Bay Packers (Week 5), Pittsburgh Steelers (Week 7 and 11), and Chicago bears (Week 9), the Bengals could look to the trade market to upgrade the QB position and keep the team above water until Burrow can come back.
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Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox believes Cincinnati could make a call to the New York Giants, who happen to have a 10-time Pro Bowl QB sitting on their bench.
“Sunday’s win (over the Los Angeles Chargers) may be enough to prevent the Giants from going into fire-sale mode, but it shouldn’t prevent them from shopping three-week starter Russell Wilson,” Knox wrote.
“Teams that already have injuries at quarterback—or are simply experiencing poor play at the position—should be interested in Wilson at a modest price. The Giants, meanwhile, shouldn’t ask for much since they have Jameis Winston to back up/mentor Dart.”
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Knox also listed the Cleveland Browns as another option for Wilson, though it could be argued that the Bengals need Wilson more than the Browns.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo recently reported Wilson is expected to command some interest before the NFL trade deadline on Nov. 4, and it wouldn’t be surprising if Cincinnati at least kicked the tires on Wilson.
“Wilson is expected to emerge as a trade candidate prior to the deadline on Nov. 4, the target of a QB-needy team in need of a veteran, according to sources around the league,” Rapoport and Garafolo wrote.
