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Bengals re-sign Joe Burrow backup to two-year contract
The Bengals will be keeping Jake Browning around after his strong showing in 2023.
The Cincinnati Bengals did not have the 2023 campaign they were hoping for, which was due in large part to star quarterback Joe Burrow’s season being cut short after ten games due to a season-ending wrist injury. While Burrow will be back on the field come Week 1 of the 2024 campaign, the Bengals want to make sure they have their bases covered in the event he suffers another injury.
With Burrow out, Cincinnati had to turn to Jake Browning under center, and he played surprisingly well in his absence (171/243, 1936 YDS, 12 TD, 7 INT). While Browning isn’t going to steal Burrow’s job from him, he is a good insurance policy to have in the event he gets injured again, which is why the Bengals went out and re-signed him to a two-year contract right ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Bengals shoring up quarterback depth behind Joe Burrow
Brown was solid under center for the Bengals, and while it certainly helped that he had weapons like Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Joe Mixon at his disposal, he kept Cincinnati in the playoff race down the stretch of the season. While they ultimately didn’t make it, having someone like Browning who is capable of filling in when needed is a huge plus for Cincy moving forward.
Browning wasn’t the only quarterback the Bengals recently signed, though, as they also reunited with their former 2018 seventh-round draft pick in Logan Woodside. Aside from Cincinnati, Woodside has spent time with the Tennessee Titans and Atlanta Falcons, and while he’s never thrown a pass in the NFL, he has experience in the team’s offensive system, which is a plus worth noting.
The best case scenario for the Bengals is that neither of these guys have to take the field because Burrow stays healthy and plays at a high level. Of course, that’s never a guarantee in this league, which the team saw firsthand last season, so you can’t ever have too much protection at the most important spot in the game of football. With that in mind, both of these moves could end up coming in handy moving forward.
Cincinnati has likely been turning their attention towards the 2024 NFL Draft for some time now, but in case there was any doubt, it looks unlikely quarterback is a position they will be targeting over the next few days. Burrow is a star, and there’s really no sense in adding a developmental prospect with Browning and Woodside in town.
The good news is that with this spot seemingly settled, the Bengals can focus heavily on addressing their top needs, with their offensive and defensive line appearing to be the two biggest of the bunch. In a perfect world, neither Browning or Woodside will throw a pass for Cincy, but in the event something happens to Burrow, the front office has done well to protect themselves.
