Bengals head coach Zac Taylor told reporters on Monday that the team would evaluate its options at quarterback after Jake Browning’s struggles while filling in for the injured Joe Burrow.
Cincinnati has acted on one such option, bringing in a signal-caller from a division rival.
According to multiple reports, the Bengals have agreed to acquire Joe Flacco from the Browns.
Cincinnati will receive Joe Flacco and a sixth-round pick in exchange for a fifth-round pick to complete the rare intra-AFC North trade.
Flacco, 40, started Cleveland’s first four games of the season before being replaced by Dillon Gabriel for the Browns’ Week 5 loss to the Vikings in London. Flacco completed 58.1 percent of his passes for 815 yards with two touchdowns and six interceptions in those four starts.
Last season, Flacco appeared in eight games with six starts for Indianapolis, completing 65.3 percent of his throws for 1,761 yards with 12 touchdowns and seven picks.
It’s unclear how long it will take Flacco to get up to speed on Cincinnati’s offense. But with Browning struggling — he’s completed 64.5 percent of his throws for 757 yards with six TDs and eight picks — the Bengals needed to do something to shake things up.
Burrow is currently slated to return in December after having surgery to repair torn ligaments in his foot. We’ll see if Flacco can keep the club afloat until that time.
Flacco will now play for his third of the four AFC North teams, having won a Super Bowl with the Ravens to cap the 2012 season.
