Brandon Allen is sticking around Cincinnati. NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that the quarterback is re-signing with the Bengals. It’ll be a one-year pact for the 28-year-old.
As Tyler Dragon of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets, the Bengals were pleased with Allen’s performance both on and off the field last season, especially following the season-ending injury to starter Joe Burrow. Allen started five of Cincy’s final six games last season, and while the Bengals went only 1-4 in those contests, the quarterback managed to complete 63.4-percent of his passes for 925 yards, five touchdowns, and four interceptions. Allen initially signed a deal with the Bengals last offseason, and he landed on the practice squad after being cut at the end of the preseason.
The former sixth-round pick out of Arkansas had stints with the Jaguars and Rams before landing with the Broncos in 2019. He started three games that season, completing 46.4-percent of his passes for 515 yards, three touchdowns, and two picks.
Allen will likely serve as Burrow’s primary backup in 2021. The team also has former fourth-rounder Ryan Finley under contract.
Good move. I was hoping Shanahan and co. would look to maybe bring him in to backup whoever is under center next season for the 49ers. Fits the scheme Kyle likes to run and has produced decent enough numbers this point in his career to warrant a reserve QB roll. Familiarity might have played a roll here so it’s a good move by the Bengals.
Branden Allen is the prototype of today’s backup quarterback. He has all of the physical skills needed to execute NFL plays, but lacks the play-making skills to do anything on his own when the play call breaks down.