Bengals head coach Zac Taylor announced Wednesday (via The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr.) newly acquired quarterback Joe Flacco will take all the reps in practice this week and start against the Packers on Sunday.
Trading for Flacco expressed Cincinnati’s clear desire to make a change at quarterback after three straight losses with Jake Browning under center. They will make the switch right away, which will force Flacco to quickly get up to speed in his new offense.
The Bengals were hoping Browning could keep the offense afloat after Joe Burrow‘s injury and keep their season alive in case the two-time Pro Bowler makes a return late in the year. Instead, Browning threw multiple interceptions in three of his four games, handicapping Cincinnati on both sides of the ball.
Historically light in terms of in-season player acquisition volume in trades, the Bengals bent on their usual stance after Browning threw three more interceptions in a one-sided loss to the Lions. They acquired Flacco and a 2026 sixth-round pick from the Browns for a 2026 fifth. Flacco also struggled with INTs with the Browns, leading to his benching, and Pro Football Focus ranking the Bengals’ O-line 32nd through five games still could create a high degree of difficulty for the statuesque trade pickup. But the Bengals were sinking fast; they will try Flacco immediately.
Taylor left the door open to a Browning benching, after previously voicing support for Burrow’s backup, after Week 5. The team considered several QB options early this week, and VP of player personnel Duke Tobin brought Flacco to Taylor’s attention (via ESPN.com’s Ben Baby) to gauge the coach’s interest before making the deal. As could be expected, Kevin Stefanski confirmed (via The Athletic’s Zac Jackson) the Bengals made the first trade contact on the QB. After Taylor gave his approval, another Ohio learning curve will take place for Flacco.
While Flacco will be in the historically interesting position of facing the Packers twice in three weeks with two different teams, he has considerable success picking up an offense on the fly. His first Browns stint, though, did feature a longer ramp-up period.
With Deshaun Watson suffering a season-ending shoulder injury, the Browns initially signed Flacco on Nov. 19, 2023. They faced the Broncos with Dorian Thompson-Robinson at the controls days later, not turning to Flacco until the following week. Flacco debuted Dec. 3 and lost his first start (to the Rams). The aging QB, who did not receive much free agency interest that offseason, proceeded to win his next four starts to move the injury-battered Browns to a surprising wild-card berth. That earned him Comeback Player of the Year acclaim and Stefanski his second Coach of the Year honor.
The Bengals will give Flacco a similar assignment, counting on the 18th-year veteran to salvage a sinking season. He will team with Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Chase Brown. Although Flacco played with Amari Cooper in 2023, the Chase-Higgins combo will easily be the best of his career. While challenges present themselves in terms of Cincy’s O-line keeping Flacco upright, the team’s pass-catching talent will make this an interesting experiment.
Sam Robinson contributed to this post.
Playbook? … we dont need no stinkin playbook!
I think the proper term for this situation is “cannon fodder.”
I bet you they’ll get on the same page with each other on about 12 passing plays. They’ll try to run the ball a lot. Flacco’s a pro and they have great receivers. They’ll figure it out. I bet it doesn’t look too bad.
The funeral is scheduled for Monday. I lieu of flowers send donations for OL upgrades. After Micah Parsons 6th sack Flacco lay motionless on the ground.
On the one hand, taking an immobile 40-year old who already wasn’t playing well and having him start behind a dicey offensive line against the Packers after only five days with the team and playbook sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. On the other hand, the Packers don’t have great corners to match up with Chase and Higgins, and getting the ball to those guys simply isn’t as hard as Browning was making it look. But yeah, this could get messy.
Hot Diggity Dog! Starting Flacco could swing the moneyline on the Bengals from +700 to +699 :)
Watch him see another win over the Packers.
Today Joe Flacco was fitted for his cape and became Super Joe. “Faster than a speeding cornerback, more powerful than Nate Newton pushing towards the buffet table, able to leap place kickers in a single bound. Yes, it’s Super Joe, a visitor from a joke of a city up north, who comes to Cincinnati with arm strength and defense recognition far beyond the abilities of Jake Browning. Super Joe, who can change the course of floundering franchises, bend the defense with his steely gaze. And who, disguised as a tiger, fights a never ending battle for AFC dominance, 1st place in the standings, and the Bengal way………
The pharmacy called…your medication is ready for pick-up :)
🙃🙃 Obviously it’s not working 🙃🙃
I guess Cousins was too expensive.
Teams cry about Brady being involved but quick to hire a QB that has literally been running other teams offenses. Makes sense.