Through four weeks, Joe Burrow sits 29th in Total QBR and last in passer rating. The recently extended passer’s 4.8 yards per attempt also check in at the bottom of the league. The Bengals have seen Burrow’s training camp calf injury define the first quarter of their season.
His mobility compromised by the setback he suffered in Week 2, Burrow has been unable to shake off this particular camp issue in the way he did after missing extended summer stretches in 2021 (ACL rehab) and 2022 (appendectomy). This lingering issue has led to the Bengals dropping to 1-3. But Zac Taylor quickly brushed off the prospect of the team resting Burrow, indicating (via ProFootballNetwork.com’s Jay Morrison) the Pro Bowl QB can operate an effective offense despite his injury and would remain in place for Week 5.
Also completing just 57.6% of his passes, Burrow had entered his fourth season as the most accurate passer in NFL history (among those with at least 1,500 attempts), Morrison adds. The former Super Bowl starter is 2-for-22 on throws beyond 15 yards and is the first QB in NFL history to throw 150 passes through four games at less than five yards per attempt, The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. adds. The Bengals’ 27-3 loss to the Titans moved this to a crisis point, but Cincinnati’s options are limited. While the organization was believed to be divided on Burrow playing at less than 100%, improvement ahead of Week 3 kept the starter at the controls.
The Bengals have never rostered an upper-echelon backup behind Burrow, going mostly with Brandon Allen during the former No. 1 overall pick’s career. The team let its multiyear backup sign with the 49ers in May; Allen is now San Francisco’s third-stringer. Cincinnati signed Trevor Siemian on the same day Browning inked the San Francisco deal, but Siemian is now back with the Jets after failing to beat out Jake Browning for the Bengals’ QB2 gig. Browning has been with the Bengals since 2021 and entered the NFL as a 2019 UDFA. But the 27-year-old passer has one regular-season attempt on his resume.
While Cincy released Reid Sinnett from its practice squad Monday, A.J. McCarron still resides on the 16-man P-squad. McCarron has not attempted a pass since 2020, but the former national championship-winning QB spent seven years in the NFL before a 2021 ACL tear nixed his effort to become a Falcons backup. The ex-Andy Dalton Bengal backup returned to action in the XFL this season. Neither Browning nor McCarron qualify as a passable stopgap at this point, however.
Cincinnati’s Week 7 bye supports a case for Burrow sitting. The team faces the Cardinals and Seahawks before its week off. The Bengals could face a steeper uphill battle if Browning starts in one or both of those games, but this version of Burrow has reduced this explosive offense’s capabilities. The team ranks 31st in scoring offense (12.3 points per game). This unexpected chapter threatens the Bengals’ chances to win a third straight AFC North crown, but for the time being, they will stick with their injured starter.
I know that the GM, & HC wants him to play, as does Joe; but the owner needs to step in and protect his investment for long term health. 2-4 weeks of sitting vs 2-4 years of contending?
When an owner pays out a salary like Burrows is getting, he wants to see immediate returns on that investment and not have to wait for 4 years. A month’s rest could help Joe but it’s possible he’ll be a guy like Andrew Luck who had amazing talent but kept getting injured no matter how often he was rested.
More importantly we are seeing how fragile the passer centric game model can be when all the eggs are in one basket. Rodgers injured and all the air comes out of the Jets season. The same may happen with the Bengals.
Fans and teammates want him to sit, almost to a man. The guy looks like he’s playing in quicksand. Everyone understands the optics of wanting to tough it out after signing that enormous contract, but there’s nothing to prove right now. This is just plain reckless. There are so many glaring problems with this offense I’m not sure a completely healthy Joe Burrow rights the ship anyhow.
How many of the guys have you contacted for your poll? It’s not all Burrow. If the offensive line did their job he wouldn’t have to move an inch. I don’t think anyone wants Burrow to sit especially with Jake “Spaghetti Arm” Browning waiting in the wings.
So an offensive line isn’t doing their job if the quarterback has to move an inch?
Look at teams with good offensive lineman. The QB can stand back there at least 5 seconds. Burrow is throwing at 2.4 and still getting knocked down. Yes, if he has to move the offensive line isn’t doing their job.
It has nothing to do with the offensive line. He cant plant his plant foot to stwp into throws. Burrow is a good qb when healthy, but doesnt throw with just his arm like power arns guys. Look at his last two seasons and youll see what i mean. Drops back 2 to 3 steps, plants, throws. Hes throwing with both feet parallel to eavh other.
Mike Brown will never have a GM. His daughter has more power than Tobin
Tobin drafts the players, finds free agents, and does all of the functions of roster acquisition, as I alluded to in response to this same comment below. Katie Blackburn does contract negotiation. I’m not sure what your point is, or why you keep bringing it up.
Quit using an injury as an excuse. If you’re playing, you’re expected to perform
@Deerhunter thank you, exactly
My whole point is he shouldnt be playing bro
I’m only responding. Tobin doesn’t have the title of GM and never will. I don’t know why this is so difficult to understand.
Okay, I understand that. I do not know why the title is so important. Tobin is in charge of drafting and signing players. On most teams that’s GM territory. So no, he’s not officially, but he’s a huge contributor to the positive trends in Cincy lately.
He’s cleared to play. If you think that the Bengals issues are all because Burrow isn’t 100%, then you’re not watching
They should have rested him coming out of the gate. They could have prepared better for being without him. It is a long season. It just seems they forgot that.
If he can’t throw deep passes he needs to sit . Case closed. Boyd, Higgins and Chase are most effective when the defense is scared of an 80 yard pass play. Right now we look like the 1980- 1990 New York Giants with all the ten yard dink passes. Are there any RB’s on the roster besides Mixon? Use them, he’s to old to be a 3 down back. Why is Orlando Brown getting pushed off the line all the way back to Burrow? A man that big should not be being pushed anywhere. I can see letting Bates walk, but I sure can tell the defense misses Bell, a lot. Most of all I think Zac Taylor’s apathy attitude has rubbed off on the guys, where’s the swagger and the drive to back it up. Right now KC would steal their lunch money and copy their test answers and our guys look like they would be okay with being bullied. I have always had the opinion that the Bengals won in spite of Zac Taylor not because of him and now it looks like they just given up.
I’ve always been of the opinion that Taylor was a mediocre to average coach who was bolstered by a strong roster and a great GM. Playing a player that you want long term while injured makes little sense when he’s playing at 50-60%; it makes astronomically less when he’s playing at less. I know that Cincy wants to capitalize on their window (especially due to defensive and WR cap concerns), but they can’t control their players’ health. That circumstance is just there, and they can’t change it, no matter how much they want to.
The Bengals have a choice, here: they can continue to struggle and lose games while impacting their franchise player’s health, or they can take their lumps and let him take time to heal and not get crushed behind a limited and terrible offense.
They don’t have a GM
No, not in title. Duke Tobin is, if I remember correctly, the Vice President of something roster related. I think Brown is actually the titular GM.
Chase ypc dropped to 12 ypc last season
His ypc dropped because they gave him over the top safety help every play. He still had huge gains, but was tackled much sooner because he had to make more than one guy miss
He averaged 12 ypc. If he had large gains, he’d averaged more than 12 ypc. I’m sure he did have some bigger gains, everyone does at some point but his ypc dropped significantly from his rookie year and it’s worse this year
I mean, Burrow being last in the league in depth of target probably has something to do with it. That is due to Burrow’s injury, which is one of two major reasons why we’re saying that he shouldn’t be playing-the other being his long term health.
Last year Chase’s ypc was 12. Burrow wasn’t hurt last year. Burrow keeps saying that his injury doesn’t affect his throwing but it affects his moving in the pocket to buy more time. I believe him. There’s plenty of quarterbacks that for whatever reason have regressed before they were expected to. Wentz. Wilson. Watson and Ryan. I think Burrow will be that group. He’ll have his very good years and his average years. There’s not many Bradys and Mahomes out there
I actually don’t disagree with any of that. Those are good points. The thing that we’re focusing on, though, that Burrow is being very specific by saying that his injury does not affect his throwing. It certainly affects his play, though. His mobility is severely impacted, even if he can still throw. Throwing and passing are, after all, different, despite their obvious relation. And that’s the thing-we’re all saying that he should sit. If he does not sacrifice games this year for his long term effectiveness, then I think your prediction will be 100% correct.
And this decision will cost Zac Taylor his job
Not a chance
Bold play. Let’s see how it works out.
Bring on AJ McCarron. He almost won a playoff game and would have except for a couple of boneheads. Give the guys a fighting chance
8 years ago
True, but if Browning is bad, you may as well look into the possibility. I think that it’s been quite a long time, which will make it pretty difficult.
Obviously, the market for backup QBs isn’t great right now for teams. Unlike the Jets, though, the Bengals are in a little better shape long term and shouldn’t be as desperate. They’ll likely lose a few valuable vets, but their core is young and mostly intact (Burrow, Chase, Wilson, for instance) for the next few years.
Aj mccaron juat led the xfl in passing yards, passing touchdowns yards per attempt and first downs. Joe burrow cant go under center or plant his foot to throw. Ill take mccaron right now and let joe get healthy
XFL. Big difference but I think you know this
Leading the XFL in passing yards is equal to finishing first in a window licking contest.
And? What has Browning done in the pro ranks?
The season will be over for the Bengals in another month – then they can let him rest.
Andrew Luck ended up retiring just before 30 because injuries took away from his enjoyment of the game. Joe’s already torn his ACL, and last year, he had an appendectomy just before training camp. If he tears his Achilles (granted, he’s significantly younger than Aaron Rodgers), I wouldn’t be surprised in a couple of years if he did the same thing. I don’t wish him ill as a Steelers fan, but I know someday, if he has a daughter, that he wants to be able to walk her down the aisle at her wedding. It just so happened that Andrew Luck and his wife had a baby girl just months after he retired.
Appendectomy is not a football related injury.
Torn ACL while not ideal for anyone. For a QB who still has not lost his mobility despite of it. Who isn’t a running QB anyways. He survived that.
He’s not as injured or as reckless as Luck was.
But I’m sure the goodness of their hearts is what all Steelers. Ravens and Browns fans hope for.
Hahaha classic Bunguls. PLEASE ruin your 200 million QB. We all knew you would.
What about leading the xfl in tds, passer rating yards per attempt and forst downs? What contests are those like winning?
Browning led the Pac 12 in passing.