CINCINNATI — Could a trade be coming? The Bengals have a quarterback problem. A trade may be brewing.
Cincinnati released veteran quarterback Mike White from the practice squad on Tuesday. He was the second-most experience signal-caller in the building behind Jake Browning.
Maybe they did it strictly to keep Howard Cross III on the practice squad—or maybe it’s a sign that another move is coming.
“We’ll see where it goes,” Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said when asked about Browning starting this week against the Packers. “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.”
Browning could still start on Sunday, even if the Bengals traded for a quarterback. With Brett Rypien on the 53-man roster and Sean Clifford on the practice squad, there isn’t a clear quarterback in the building that could realistically unseat Browning.
Browning has made three starts with Joe Burrow on injured reserve. He’s completed 64.5% of his passes for 757 yards, six touchdowns and eight interceptions. The Bengals are 0-3 in games he’s started and have been outscored 113-37 in those games.
The Bengals plan to name a starter for this week’s game ahead of Wednesday’s practice. They’ll tailor the game plan to whoever is expected to start.
“It’s just every rep is critical,” Taylor said. “If you get two reps on a play during the course of the week, a pass play, that’s quite a bit. You know, two full speed reps. So it’s difficult to balance quarterbacks.
“You’re in on one quarterback and need to get a move on. And you got to find ways to evaluate the other guys that are on the team in different ways, whether that’s on practice squad, whether that’s in group install period. You have to use every resource because it is very challenging during the season to get multiple guys reps, to evaluate how they’re going to look in your offense, with your receivers and the alignment and all that stuff. It’s just a real challenge.”
Could the Bengals trade for Russell Wilson? What about Jameis Winston? Andy Dalton?
Time will tell, but parting ways with White could be a sign of things to come.
For more on the Bengals, subscribe to our YouTube Channel and be sure to check us out on your favorite audio platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon.
Make sure you bookmark BengalsTalk.com for the latest Bengals news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!
—–
Join the 59,000+ Bengals fans that subscribe to us on YouTube.
Follow us on Twitter: @BengalsTalkSI
