Takeaways from Bengals Week 5 loss to Lions
Here’s what we learned from the Cincinnati Bengals’ loss to the Detroit Lions.
Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor opened the door to potentially making a change at quarterback following the Week 5 loss to the Detroit Lions. Jake Browning threw three interceptions, and the offense continues to struggle to score points.
The Bengals have yet to win with Browning starting at quarterback for a full game this year and he ranks No. 2 in the NFL in interceptions with eight.
And as of Oct. 6, Taylor wasn’t ready to announce who his starting quarterback will be against the Green Bay Packers on Oct. 12.
“We’ll see where it goes,” Taylor said when asked if Browning will be his starter this week. “You know, I think like all personnel decisions, we’ve got to evaluate it. Jake’s been very accountable for how the game went for him. I’ve got to be accountable for how the game went for me as well. And so we’ll continue to progress here through the days.”
Taylor’s response certainly makes it seem like a change is at least being discussed. If this wasn’t the case, why would Taylor not come out and declare his confidence in Browning outright like he’s done in previous weeks?
The time is ticking to decide, though. The Bengals must decide by Oct. 7 when the coaching staff has their most intense day of the week creating the game plan. They’ll install the plan on Oct. 8 when the players return for their first day of practice.
Bengals’ QB options
Here are the options Taylor has:
Stick with Browning.Start Brett Rypien, Mike White or Sean Clifford.Trade for a quarterback on another team.
The Bengals signed White and Clifford following Joe Burrow’s toe injury on Sept. 14. Taylor and his staff now have at least two weeks of practice film to watch as they evaluate their options. Rypien is Browning’s backup quarterback. White and Clifford are currently on Cincinnati’s practice squad.
“It’s not always perfect, but we are always paying attention to these guys on the practice squad, what reps they are getting,” Taylor said of evaluating players on the practice squad. “We do try to create some opportunities to isolate them and let them kind of get things staged during practice to perform, which we’ve done over the years.”
Will Bengals trade for a QB?
Cincinnati’s front office could pull off a move in acquiring a backup quarterback on another team, but it would be unlikely that player could come in and start this week against the Packers. If the Bengals trade for a quarterback, it is likely to come with an understanding that quarterback won’t take over the keys in the offense until after the Bengals’ game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 16.
It would be challenging for a quarterback on another roster to learn Cincinnati’s offense fast enough to play this week and on a short week in Week 7. There could be a few veteran quarterbacks who could pull it off, but it seems unlikely for this week at least.
Kirk Cousins in Atlanta, Russell Wilson in New York (Giants), Jameis Winston in New York (Giants) and Andy Dalton in Carolina are all names that have swirled around as veteran options for Cincinnati if they’re willing to trade.
It’s important to remember that another team would have to be willing to part with their backup quarterback and that likely comes down to what draft pick they would receive in exchange. Cincinnati’s front office has been reluctant to part ways with draft picks in years past unless it’s a dire situation like last year when the Bengals needed a running back ahead of their Week 10 game against the Baltimore Ravens and traded with the Chicago Bears for Khalil Herbert.
Time will tell what Taylor decides to do, and external pressure is mounting on the Bengals’ head coach. The season surely feels like it could be saved or lost with this decision.