Cincinnati Bengals FINALLY Trade for Quarterback: Does Joe Flacco Make Them Better?

Cincinnati Bengals FINALLY Trade for Quarterback: Does Joe Flacco Make Them Better?

simply had to do something at quarterback and that something is a trade for Joe Flacco. You are Locked on Bengals, your daily Cincinnati Bengals podcast, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. What up, Bengals fans, and welcome to another episode of the Lockdown Bengals podcast, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network. Your team every day, we’ve got breaking news for you. Maybe not quite breaking by the time you listen to this, but James Rene and myself, Jakeco, your hosts of Locked on Bengals, have you covered as Joe Flacco is joining the Cincinnati Bengals, continuing his tour of the AFC North at 40 years old, making the trip down the interstate from Cleveland to Cincinnati. And we’ll see if that’s the move the Bengals need to get back on track. We’ll have you covered on that story in this episode. Why they couldn’t continue with Jake Browning, why Joe Flacco was the target, and that is the discussion as the Bengals make their move at quarterback. Welcome back to all of you who make locked on Bengals your first listen. All of you who make locked Bengals part of your daily routine, all the everydayers, and all of you who make us your first listen. Appreciate all of you very much. And today’s episode brought to you by FanDuel, where you can bet just $5. And if your bet wins, you’ll get $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. James, it’s Joe Flacco for the Cincinnati Bengals. Not a name that we discussed, an in division trade, a trade with the Browns, the first that we’ve heard of a a trade attempted with the Cleveland Browns since Sashi Brown tanked the AJ McCarron trade years ago. What was your first reaction to seeing the name Joe Flacco? It a couple of things. one uh surprised because it was in division, but certainly when you look and I looked at like just the options, there aren’t many teams that would be willing to trade their backup because they’re contenders and because they don’t want to be in the position the Bengals are in now where they’re scrambling. And so I just don’t think there were many options out there. Joe Flacco certainly won where you look at that Browns quarterback room and they clearly want to get those rookies involved and it makes sense and they weren’t able to to strike lightning in a bottle with Flaco like they did a few years ago in 2023 when they made the playoffs and and I think that was pretty clear and so it made sense for every reason from a a a trade possibility outside of the division part and shocker Mike Brown isn’t necessarily a big Browns fan since all of the the family history there. And so that’s why these inner division trades are I I wouldn’t say common, but they’ve become more common over the past few years. But I I never really wrap my head around or think about Bengals Browns because there’s just so much history. And yet they they decided to make a move. And it’s a move that uh as as we were recording, it’s official now. The Bengals they plan on starting Joe Flacco Sunday in Green Bay. So, he’s going to make his Bengals debut right away. Hit the ground running here. He’s uh less than two years younger than Zack Taylor. And and so that might be part of it, too, is they they think he’s a a veteran, someone that completed nearly 65% of his passes last year, is a fast learner, and uh and can hit the ground running with the Bengals. I uh manoo there’s a lot of layers to this Jake but uh yeah that first one it is surprising to see them make a deal with the Browns but when you look at Joe Flacco the player and his experience I get why they would be willing to go that route especially when you look at the cost he played against the Bengals in week one played pretty well in that game he was uh the victim of of a ton of drops are dropping 10% of the passes thrown their way this year which is kind of crazy that was a drop for Joe Flacco in Cleveland. He’s obviously played for a bunch of teams in recent years and has played partial seasons for a bunch of teams in recent years. Was pretty solid for Indianapolis last year. Was pretty solid for Cleveland two years ago. Is another year later now. Was pretty solid against the Bengals in week one. Can’t really move all that well. And is going to be in Cincinnati as he was in Cleveland behind a pretty bad defensive or offensive line. He was being pressured on 40% of his drop backs in Cleveland. And when he was pressured, that’s when things really went haywire for Flacco. Really embracing the YOLO life when he was pressured. He had a 6% big-time throw rate according to PFF and a 6.6% turnover worthy play rate when he was under pressure with the Browns. The yards per attempt numbers not very good. The Cleveland offense obviously limited by its offensive line, limited by its weapons. They had some good tight ends. of receivers, leaving a lot to be desired. And like I said, those drops really hurting him. And and overall, like take the Cincinnati game for Flacco for an example. He was a bit unlucky with some of the interceptions. He has thrown six interceptions this year, but a little bit of that at least against the Bengals in particular, was some bad luck and and some bad bounces and some bad receiver play that led to that. So, there’s all that about Joe Flacco, but to me, this comes back to James, the idea that they saw Jake Browning and finally decided enough is enough. And you heard that from Zack Taylor in his postgame and Monday pressers that they’re considering options. The way that they’re turning the ball over isn’t okay. And I I think the fact that Jake Browning made it through that entire game tells you what they think about their other QB options. Mike White was also released as part of this series of moves from the Bengals on on Tuesday. They they had to do something. They could not continue to just throw Jake Browning to the Wolves the way he was playing this year. The way he was playing late, the way he was playing inaccurately, the way he was playing, just entirely breaking down at the hint of pressure, making rash decisions. Couldn’t keep doing it. The whole idea here is try to buy yourself the chance that Joe Burrow can get back. Just try to find a way to give yourself that chance. And and I think rightly the Bengals decided that Jake Browning wasn’t giving them that chance. We’ll see if Joe Flacco is the right direction. For sure. It’s a couple of things. First things first, Joe Flacco is going to turn the ball over too. But what they’re banking on is he’s also going to deliver some explosive plays. Like you can deal with some turnovers if you also get touchdowns with them. And Jake Browning, the only time he’s thrown a touchdown as a starter for this team is when they were already out of the game. And the in his three starts being outscored 113 to 37 with that fourth quarter flurry. That makes it look way better. 21 points in the fourth quarter the other day and the Drew Sample garbage time touchdown. So like 28 of those points being in garbage time. Yeah. I mean, they just haven’t been competitive. And so, like, I see some people saying, “Oh, well, behind this line,” or I get it. It’s not perfect. It’s flawed. It sucks that we’re here. Let’s be honest. It sucks that we’re talking about a Joe playing quarterback that isn’t Joe Burrow. But that’s where they are. And if you keep trotting Jake out there, you’re right. The season’s over. And I’m telling you, I’ve tried to hammer this home. And I’m going to hammer it home one more time because there’s going to be so many people that say punt on the season. Joe Burrow is working his ass off right now to try to get back. He’s told everybody that will ask everybody. And and I’m not saying me because I haven’t asked, but you know, he’s trying to come back this year. His plan is to come back this year. And so whether you look at Joe in the eye or you look at Jamar Chase in the face or T. Higgins or you could go down the line Trey Hendrickson keep going and say hey we are going to because I think the offensive line has done enough the past two weeks to give them a chance in the games and Jake Browning has not given them a chance in these games. It’s you had to do something and if Joe Flacco is the guy and and I think we need to peel back more layers. I think there’s logic behind this, but why they went after Joe is is to do sort of the Russell Wilson idea. The reason why I mentioned Russell Wilson multiple times over the past couple of weeks is because I think moonball Russ and check down Russ. I think that could make sense. Maybe that’s what Joe becomes. And this they become this big play, man. Jamar’s down there somewhere offense. And if he’s not, then then check it down and there’s going to be some interceptions. But if you can get your guys in space around the line of scrimmage here and there and connect on some big plays, maybe you can look up and and beat some of these teams that are on your schedule. And look, Green Bay and Green Bay is a heck of a place to start. But then you have Pittsburgh, you have the Jets, you have the Bears, you have Pittsburgh again, you have the Patriots. Like, it’s not like you’re playing five straight Super Bowl contenders. Maybe they can turn it around. And so I’m not going to knock the Bengals for for making a move here. And and maybe Joe has enough with these weapons. These are the best weapons Joe Flacco has probably ever had. Maybe there’s enough there to get the most out of 40-year-old Joe Flacco. They needed to make a move. I think we could all agree on that. This was necessary. Why it was Joe Flacco, that I think is an interesting conversation to expand upon. Why it wasn’t Russ Wilson, why it wasn’t a cult to the New York Giants, who reportedly they did not even call according to Diana Rousini. We’ll get into the why behind the Joe Flacco decision coming up next. Today’s show is brought to you by FanDuel and the the Bengals. Well, they were 14 and a half point underdogs going into this matchup against Green Bay. Now they have a starting quarterback, Jake, that’s beat the Packers this year. And Joe Flacco, he’s done it once. Can he do it again? We’ll see. Uh he was one and three as a starter this year for the Browns and he it was a a win over the Packers oddly enough. But regardless, FanDuel is perfect for you because new customers can bet just $5 and get $300 in bonus bets if you win. So pick a bet, put down five bucks, and if it hits, you unlock $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. Whether it’s sim game parlays, live bets, Thursday Night Football, Sunday Night Football, Bengals, Packers, Sunday in Green Bay, it doesn’t matter. Whatever you’re looking to wager on, check it out right now with FanDuel. What are you waiting for? Visit fan.com to download the FanDuel app today and get started. All right, Jake, let’s uh let’s dive into the the why. And yeah, I uh I think the why is interesting. Uh Russell Wilson is cringey as hell. Let’s be honest, right? He’s cringey. Every everyone makes a face. There’s a reason why there are a lot of people not in on Russ. And a lot of it has to do with the the cringiness and his lack of leadership and and Jameus Winston is is likable and he says a lot of awesome quotes to the media and from a media standpoint. I would really like it, but I I I’m not sure that either one of those guys were guys the Bengals looked at and said, “Hey, it would be worth whatever asking price.” One, two, because this is a pick swap. It’s not a a straightup pick. It’s a pick swap. Two, I think the leadership standpoint, I I think that’s a a big factor here where they look at it and they say, “Man, if Joe navigated the Cleveland waters in 2023 and all that dysfunction, C can he come in here on a short week against a team he started against a couple of weeks ago and give us a chance and then on a short week give us a chance against the team that he’s really familiar with and the Pittsburgh Steelers and then keep it moving.” Like I think this is the Bengals saying uh makeup wise, mindset wise, uh the physical talent-wise, like they know he can’t move. They’re not dumb. They know he can’t move. All of these re reasons and then some as to why they went after Joe. Is it the right decision? We’ll see. But those are peeling back the curtain. Some of the reasons why they went after Joe Flacco. Yeah. I mean, I’ve seen people say that they weren’t in on Russ specifically because of, like you said, the lack of genuine leadership qualities, the lack of genuine personal because like that’s the thing with Russ. He’s so corny, but it’s also so fake. Like that’s the veneer that I think everyone in the NFL sees through at this point with the act that you get with Russell Wilson. to spend too much time on that because he’s not going to be a Cincinnati Bengal at this point, but the the I go back to remember in the preseason people are asking Joe Flacco like, “Hey, are you gonna be a mentor? How are you how are you going to embrace your mentorship role with these young players, these young quarterbacks around you, Cleveland?” And the impression I got from Joe Flacco answering those questions is like nononsense approach like I’m here to win the job. I’m here to win football games. I’m here to play football. and that veteran eness, I don’t have a word for it. He He’s gruff. He’s non nonsense. And that’s the approach that he’s going to bring to a team that I think needs some of that. They need that experience at the position. They need someone who can command a huddle, who has been there. I mean, is this I I’ve seen people ask this question on on Twitter today, and I I think this is true. Is this the first quarterback to play for the Cincinnati Bengals who had a Super Bowl ring? Is that is that a I think uh there might be a backup somewhere in there. That’s that’s the question is is there a backup but certainly the first uh starter the first quarterback to have started and won a Super Bowl I think un unless again there’s there’s a backup that I’m not recalling but like No, I I I think you’re I think you’re right. Uh, I certainly know that there hasn’t been a starting quarterback for the Bengals that uh that won a Super Bowl. I’m looking at every starter in franchise history. Um, did did one go on somewhere else and, you know, a backup on somewhere else? Yeah, it’s tough tough to see. Uh, but you’re putting me on the spot there. I I would lean no, but there might be a backup somewhere, a practice squad guy somewhere that snuck through the cracks. The the point is here is yeah, I mean the Super Bowl is ancient history for Joe Flacco. That doesn’t really matter, but at least he has that experience. And the fear with Browning is that he’s just going to continue to just crumble in these situations. And the Bengals just couldn’t have that anymore. They needed a quarterback who’s at least going to be a professional. Maybe Joe Flacco doesn’t want to be hit anymore. And I asked one of our uh Cleveland resources, one of our good Cleveland film analyst friends, Jake Burns, about Flacco. And he didn’t have very many good things to say about Flaco, to be fair. But one of them was that there’s a little bit of of shying away from contact at this point and just throwing the ball, the yolo approach under pressure to try to not get hit at 40 years old. and and maybe you live and die with that a little bit, but the the plays where he isn’t pressured, the numbers are totally fine for him with Cleveland. Now, is it a very different offense between Kevin Stfansky’s approach in Cleveland and Zack Taylor’s approach in Cincinnati? Is it a very different set of weapons? Is it a very different philosophy? Yeah. So, we’ll have to see how Joe Flacco adapts to those things, especially in a short week. But I do think that one this this could very well be one of those situations where the Bengals saw Flaco earlier this year. They’ve seen him a bunch throughout his career. They think that they know exactly what they’re going to get with Flaco. They think that’s better than Jake Browning. Two, he did play against Green Bay this year and I think that’s at least a little bit valuable. Green Bay’s also played against Flacco this year. Green Bay is still going to be a significant test, but in the short term that maybe provides you some value, right? Yeah, I I I think I think so. I think a couple of things. One, the familiarity is huge and the fact that because last week because I I was thinking about this in waves and I was like, well, if you acquire a quarterback last week, you’re hoping to get him ready for Pittsburgh, but they clearly because of the familiarity, because of what Joe Flacco his style, and it makes sense. I I do I think that this is going to be and Zach might not come out and say this, but my my oh my does Wednesday get so interesting because hopefully we do hear from Joe Flacco on Wednesday. It certainly oh man, there’s just so many layers to this as we react to it. But it it’s it might be as simple as all right, we’re going to go deep. We’re going to have have some easy reads, easy checks, easy easy ways to go about this. And if it’s not there, then throw that thing through the the back of the end zone from the 30 yard line because you can throw it that far, Joe. Like he does have the physical gift of of being able to throw it still. Like Aaron Rogers, you see this too, he doesn’t want to get hit either. But if he does have a second or if there is a receiver that’s open, he can get it there. And I think that’s that’s what they’re really banking on. and they probably looked at the Browns and said, “Man, their weapons and what they’re trying to do, Joe’s going to be better with us in this environment with what we have and and be familiar enough with the upcoming opponents to hit the ground running, which is really, really important.” And so I when you when you think of the why, I bet that was a factor is is not trading for a guy and then having Jake start against Green Bay. And if you trade for like a Russ Wilson or a Jameus Winston, you’re probably still starting Jake. I mean, where they play in five days from from us recording this and and Joe, he’s going to make a quick trip down 71, be at the Bengals facility today on Tuesday, and and you can hit the ground running and get him there uh at practice Wednesday. Like, it’s not that it would be different for those other guys, but he game planned for Green Bay two weeks ago, three weeks ago, whatever it was. And so I I do think that that matters. I I think a lot of people are going to question it. I do. And the other part of why there weren’t many options, not many great options, and that that’s the downside of quarterbacks, and that’s the downside of uh of one, losing Joe Burrow, but two, it’s not like you’ve invested a lot of of draft capital or anything like that into the quarterback position because you thought Jake Browning was that guy. And it turns out he’s not that guy. And so when you got to go get a guy in October, that’s a that’s a tough ask. And I I think they did a solid job there. Even if they did have to move down what 40 picks or so in the draft, I think that’s what it’ll end up being. Yeah, we’ll talk about a couple more reasons behind the why here. I have a couple more thoughts there as to why this is the the move that it ended up being. We’ll we’ll cover that compensation in detail, what Joe Flacco is owed this year. I think these are parts of the why. James, you have one more point you want to hit here. I have a fun fact real quick. It’s just going to be a positive fun fact or it’s going to tell the the tale of how old Joe Flacco is. By the way, I was in high school when he entered the NFL and was the 18th overall pick in 2008. Bengals legend Willie Anderson loves this move. He blocked for Joe Flacco when Flaco was a rookie in 2008. So there you go. There you go. got Willy’s endorsement. We’ll finish with a couple more thoughts on the why. A little bit more on what Joe Flacco brings, what we can maybe expect to see from an approach perspective. How do how do things change with Joe Flacco taking over for Jake Browning to finish up this show as the Bengals have made a move at quarterback. Coming up next, I’m Cody Ro from Lockdown Broncos and this episode is brought to you by Pelaton. Pelaton is shaping the future of fitness with the brand new Pelaton crossraining tread plus powered by Pelaton IQ. This is Pelaton’s most advanced equipment yet, giving you realtime guidance and endless ways to move. Whether you’re running, lifting, or you’re crossraining with your favorite instructors like Alex Tousant. It’s training reimagined to make your workout more personal. Pelaton is built for breakthroughs with features that help you plan, stay motivated, and hit peak performance. You can let yourself run, lift, flex, and go while Pelaton handles all the rest. Plus, Pelaton IQ provides real time strength coaching, tracking your progress and suggesting weights that challenge you so you can get stronger. Plus, the new movement tracking camera. It counts your reps and corrects your form in real time, making sure every rep is safer and smarter. So, let yourself run, lift, flex, push, and go. to explore the new Pelaton cross trainining tread plus at oneplaton.com. James, I have a couple more reasons that uh maybe we’ve alluded to, but I think that add to why this was a move for the Cincinnati Bengals. One is just a pick swap. They don’t actually give up a pick. We we’ve mentioned that a few times. The pick swap itself a little bit worse than I thought when it was initially reported. I thought it was a fifth for the sixth. That sounds really good when it’s the Browns six when it’s in fact the Lions six that the Browns owned. It gets a little bit worse. People jumped on me for this saying, “Ah, they can’t draft in the end of the draft anyway. Who cares about what they give up in in day three?” It just makes it a little bit worse. We’re talking about probably the top of the six if it’s a Browns pick, probably the end of the six if it’s a Lions pick, and it is a Lions pick. So, that aside, I think that it’s a pick swap. You’re you’re not giving up a full draft pick. That’s part of what makes this appealing to the Bengals. Another part of what makes it appealing to the Bengals is that Joe Flacco isn’t ear isn’t owed much money. There was discussion around Kurt Cousins immediately after Joe Burrow’s injury, for example. There’s so much guaranteed money left for Kirk Cousins that that was a non-starter, I think, for the Bengals to even consider. south of $2 million for Joe Flacco for the rest of this year between a veteran minimum salary and a per game bonus that he will I think be owed by the Bengals for the rest of the year for every game he’s active. So, not a whole lot of money tied up in this move for Joe Flacco and and we’ve talked about the experience factor. I think that’s a huge issue and and I’ll expand on that here in a in a minute because I think that is a pretty significant reason that they’re going with this move. I mean, I think that could also be true for a move for Russ Wilson. We’ve talked about the leadership factor. We’ve talked about the familiarity. We’ve talked about the uh fact that he has this reputation of being able to get ready quickly. That’s what every national insider has written today, which is kind of weird that they all got locked up on that, like expected to be a quick learner. That’s something that Diana Vini wrote. That’s something that Adam Sher wrote. I think that is in line with reality as the Bengals are expecting him to start against the Green Bay Packers uh on Sunday. So, just a couple of extra reasons there, James, like financial and cost reasons that I think made this palatable to the Bengals as well, in addition to some of the football reasons, some of the intangible reasons that we’ve talked about as well. Yeah. And they regardless of how you think he’s going to do and maybe he goes 0 and6 as a starter and we see Brett Ripen and then Sean Clifford, right? May maybe Brett Ripen or Sean Clifford isn’t on the roster or in the building by the time you you hear hear this or read this too or listen or watch, but but it’s still a swing. Like it’s a tough spot. It’s a really tough spot when you feel really good about your quarterbacks one and two. Obviously, you think Joe’s the best on the planet. He gets hurt out for most of the season and Jake comes in and gets his butt kicked. Like I know there are other reasons and people are mad at the the organization. And so they felt pretty good about their quarterback room two months ago when when you were in town two months ago. It’s like, oh, well, yeah, you Joe and Jake, like that’s that’s pretty it’s not not as good as James and Jake with Lacon Bengals, but it’s a pretty darn good quarterback room, right? And it kind of blew up in their face. And so I think in past years, they wouldn’t have made a move. And so to make a move, to not mortgage the future, that was what so many people give up assets and mortgage. You don’t really mortgage the future. You’re right. It’s something. It’s not nothing. It’s something. It’s a pretty low. It’s a pretty low price overall. For sure. It’s a low price. Especially what if what if they go four and two with Joe Flacco over the next six. I’m not saying they will. What if they do? Like then it’s a steal. Yeah. Regardless, it’s a steal because he comes in and does what they they’re hoping in a perfect world he can do. And and they’re they’re probably saying, “Hey, that this is a guy that in 23 was 4-1 with the Browns. last year completed 65% of his passes and had 13 touchdowns and what what was it? Eight picks, seven picks last year um for the the Colts. 12. It was 12 and seven. Sorry. He had 13 and eight the year before. But maybe he can still be that guy. He still looks like that guy and the Browns are a dumpster fire right now. Clearly wanted to give the rookies the the reigns. Like who knows? But if they’re wrong, it’s not a huge price to pay. And if they’re right, well then maybe we see the other Joe, the best Joe on the field again this year. And so am I okay with that? Like I am. Now whether or not that happens and whether you feel like it’s going to happen or not, that’s a completely different conversation that we have time for. But on the surface, Jake wasn’t it. And I’ll give you 113 to 37 reasons why. And so taking this swing and getting a guy that you feel confident in could be ready Sunday in Green Bay. All right, let’s let’s see how it works out. So generous of you to to give it 37 instead of nine. I I still don’t couch any garbage points. I agree. I agree with you. I part of it is that the Jamar Chase the Jamar Chase plays Jamar just a freak. So I think they deserve credit for those. Can’t base what what Jamar did. But uh the interesting thing here is how much does it move the needle, right? They had to do something. We can all agree there. We can say, “Hey, good job. You did something. You recognized that this wasn’t good enough. You tried to find something that would make it better.” There aren’t a whole lot of options out there. You’re talking about Andy Daltton. You’re talking about Russ Wilson. Russ Wilson is one of the one of the quarterbacks that’s down with Jake Browning in ESPN’s QBR metric this year. Got bench for Jackson Dart. People talking about Jameus Winston who’s never been good in the NFL, but would be fun. For sure would be fun. Were there other options that might have been better? Maybe, but it’s not like you’re going to be able to go trade for a middle of the pack quarterback in the middle of the season. And the other thing is is you’re not Kyle Shanahan getting production out of M. Jones the way that Kyle Shanahan seems to be able to get production out of every quarterback. Like it’d be great if you were, but if you can get something out of Joe Flacco throwing to these weapons and like you said, potentially the best weapons he’s had, at least since he was throwing to Anquin Balden, right, then maybe the offense at least looks more watchable. Maybe you’re at least a little bit more competitive. Maybe it isn’t this week against Green Bay. A short week. It’s a good defense. It’s a good pass rush. We’re going to have to give Joe Flacco a couple of weeks here. And and when we’re reacting to this game on Sunday, if it’s ugly, we’re going to have to remember. We might have to give Joe Flacco a couple weeks. Well, maybe he comes out and he’s okay. Maybe he comes out and he and he’s reading out the concepts the way you’re supposed to read out concepts. Maybe he’s playing with a better sense of timing than Jake Browning showed the capability of playing with. Maybe he’s playing competent veteran backup quarterback for the Bengals. And if he’s doing that, then the results should be better. If it still looks nonfunctional in like three weeks, then yeah, I mean, you’re you’re irreparably broken at that point. And and we’ll see how much better it gets, but they had to do something. You can credit them for that part of it. And you know, do I have skepticism about Joe Flacco? I do. Do I think that this is going to move the needle appreciably? We’ll see. I’m not super confident about that, but they had to try something. They did. They did. And I just looking at twofold. one. Joe was Joe Flacco was 21 of 36 for 142 yards, no touchdowns, and a pick against the Packers in week three. The Browns won that game 13-10. They had 66 offensive snaps. Uh, so just throwing that line out there. Two, you mentioned Kyle Shanahan, and this is just kind of teasing what will probably come up, I would imagine, during our Thursday show. We have the crossover tomorrow with Peter, which is going to be be fun. But, uh, Thursday show, Kyle Shanahan. Yeah, he’s getting a lot out of a lot of backup quarterbacks. You want to talk about Zack Taylor? They went and got him a quarterback now. He said, “Oh, it’s not working with Jake. We’re getting you another guy. Make it work.” So, guess what? There is some pressure here. There’s an that’s a whole another storyline that we’ll dive into at some point. Some pressure on Zack to to make this work and be a competent, functional offense because Joe Flacco has been competent and functional when the pieces around him have been competent and functional. So, so we’ll see if he can get the most out of Joe Flacco. I do think that’s an interesting storyline to bring up. Maybe we get to it Thursday. Maybe we get to it next week when we really dive into it in depth. But you’re you’re removing excuses for Zack Taylor, right? You’re saying like, “Hey, make it work this year. We we better be in this thing when Joe’s ready to play or else, maybe maybe there’s an or else. There are currently no odds for Zack Taylor in the list of coaches most likely to be the first fired in this season.” And and I think that’s for a reason. But I I think that to your point, this this maintains the the message that it’s like maybe it’s a little bit late from the Bengals front office to to figure out they needed to make this move, but it’s hey, we better figure this thing out this year and and get this thing right this year and that pressure on Zack Taylor. Like you said, James, we’ve got a crossover coming up next. The NFL calendar keeps on moving. The Bengals play the Green Bay Packers on Sunday and we keep going with our content schedule. So, we got the crossover for you tomorrow. We’ve got a game preview coming for you on Thursday and then we’re right into a game. So, busy week here on Lockdown Bengals. Busy week for the Bengals to get Joe Flacco up to speed. Hopefully get them ready to start in their perspective against the Green Bay Packers. Until next time, thanks for listening to this episode of the Lockdown Bengals podcast. Who day and have a good

The Cincinnati Bengals have FINALLY added a quarterback in a trade with their division rival Cleveland Browns. Joe Flacco is Cincinnati bound and will start for the Bengals against the Green Bay Packers.

Will Flacco make the Bengals’ offense better? Will he maximize Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins? Why did they trade for Flacco over Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston or Andy Dalton?

James Rapien and Jake Liscow react to the news, share their thoughts and so much more!

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Let yourself run, lift, flex, and push forward. Explore the new Peloton Cross Training Tread+ today at https://www.onepeloton.com.

Rugiet
Ready to level up your confidence in the bedroom? Head to https://www.rugiet.com and use promo code LOCKEDONNFL for 15% off your first order.

Monarch Money
Take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONNFL at https://monarchmoney.com/lockedonnfl for 50% off your first year.

Square
To learn more, go support your favorite neighborhood spot and see what Square has been up to in your neck of the woods. And then if you have extra time, check out https://square.com/go/lockedonnfl.

PrizePicks
Download the PrizePicks app today and use code LOCKEDONNFL to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup.

Gametime
Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.

FanDuel
Right now, new customers can bet just FIVE dollars and if your bet wins—you’ll get THREE HUNDRED dollars in bonus bets to use across the app.

FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)