The Cincinnati Bengals have a young stud at quarterback but if anything happens to him where he has to miss an extended period of time, they’d be in trouble.
Fortunately, in 2021, Joe Burrow remained relatively healthy and only missed one game because the Cincinnati Bengals had locked up the AFC North and didn’t have anything else to play for in the final week of the regular season.
Had Burrow gone down with an injury or had to miss a few games for whatever reason, Brandon Allen would have been the starter. Allen clearly is popular in the locker room and that’s why he was re-signed for the 2022 season but he won’t be able to keep the team afloat if Burrow has to miss time.
That’s why Ian Wharton of Bleacher Report proposed that the Bengals work out a trade for Commanders quarterback Taylor Heinicke.
"The Bengals might be able to pluck Taylor Heinicke away from Washington. Heinicke wasn’t able to keep the starting job for 2022 after playing in 16 games last year, but he proved he can be a high-end backup. Washington invested heavily in quarterbacks this offseason, trading for Carson Wentz, who will take over the starting role, and drafting Sam Howell."
Taylor Heinicke would give Bengals a better backup option at QB
Heinicke, a former undrafted product out of Old Dominion, first appeared in an NFL game in 2017 as a member of the Texans. He made his first-ever NFL start in 2018 while donning a Panthers uniform and has spent the past two years with Washington. This past year he started 15 games for the Football Team and threw for 3,419 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 15 picks.
Heinicke isn’t a starting-caliber option but he would provide a serviceable backup and the Bengals could certainly use someone with his experience. I don’t see them actually pulling the trigger on this trade considering how much the organization seems to like Brandon Allen but it would be a solid move on their end considering they’d only part ways with a fifth-round pick in next year’s draft.
What do you think of this trade proposal?