The Cincinnati Bengals managed to make a rare, proactive move during last season. They traded for Joe Flacco in the wake of Joe Burrow's turf toe injury and Jake Browning's struggles, and Flacco played lights-out until a sprained AC joint betrayed him.
Flacco showed that he can still ball out when healthy. He even threw for 470 yards and four TDs against the nearly-NFC finalist Chicago Bears in a 47-42 loss with that bum throwing shoulder.
So assuming Flacco moves on for a chance to start elsewhere in 2026, I thought it prudent to draft up a list of options for Cincinnati's QB2. That is, assuming Duke Tobin has the brain capacity to understand that Browning couldn't cut it last season and shouldn't be retained as a restricted free agent.
We're going one option per three different avenues of the free-agent market, the 2026 NFL Draft, and a trade.
3 different backup QBs for Bengals in 2026 via free agency, draft & trade
Free agent: Marcus Mariota, Washington Commanders
Hate to say this. At the rate that Burrow keeps getting injured, I'm not interested in having an incapable backup. Marcus Mariota would cost a little extra, but it's money well spent.
Mariota brings a running element to the position the Bengals don't have on their roster, rushing for 297 yards this past season. He posted a decent 86.1 passer rating despite Washington complementing him with a crap defense and minimal pass-catching help.
At what point in his career has Mariota ever played with perimeter weapons like Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins? Gonna go with "never." He's never been in anything close to that situation.
I would imagine Mariota is out of Cincinnati's preferred price range. Too bad. He'd look pretty sick in Orange, Black and White.
Draft: Cole Payton, North Dakota State
The more numbers and highlights I see from North Dakota State dual-threat southpaw Cole Payton, the more convinced I am that he'll be climbing draft boards in a weak QB draft class.
Clean pocket, pressure, and blitz efficiency metrics for past North Dakota State QB prospects. Cole Payton was significantly more efficient than Wentz and Lance in every circumstance. He will most definitely be a draft season riser.. 📈 pic.twitter.com/FB9UuU6ywD
— Adam Carter (@impactfbdata) January 17, 2026
FCS or not....this is impressive (per PFF)
— Derek Brown (@DBro_FFB) January 22, 2026
a Cole Payton truther just checking in. pic.twitter.com/QeiyPCakwp
Payton has an absolute hose of a left arm. He can scoot for a man listed at 6'3", 233 pounds.
Red flags abound since he comes from a lineage featuring top-three picks in Carson Wentz and Trey Lance, but Payton's talent is very real.
There are far worse QBs to take a Day 3 flier on. I wouldn't draft Payton before the fourth round. However, some team is going to be thrilled to get him, develop him, and shoot, maybe start him in the NFL someday.
Put aside the FCS competition level for a second. Watch the footage below. You tell me if this doesn't look like a pro-caliber quarterback.
Trade: Spencer Rattler, New Orleans Saints
It'd take a lot to make Duke Tobin and Bengals ownership pull the trigger on any trade of substance. All they had to do for the Flacco deal was a mere Day 3 draft pick swap with Cleveland.
Spencer Rattler would presumably cost more than that. The New Orleans Saints drafted Tyler Shough in Round 2, and he looks like the future face of the franchise. Might be time for New Orleans to sell high on Rattler.
This young man has been through the wringer. Netflix did a documentary on high school football once upon a time, put a camera in the young Rattler's face, and his teenage cocky bravado has followed him ever since. In fact, I swear to you this is real, it's a big reason he fell to the fifth round of the 2024 draft.
Rattler has excellent arm talent. He was benched at Oklahoma for Caleb Williams, gutted out some tough years at South Carolina, landed in a terrible situation with the Saints, got thrust into playing as a rookie, picked up a new offense with a new coaching staff in Year 2, and then got benched for Shough.
So it's not like Rattler is some scrub. Williams is just a generational talent. Shough looks like a capital-D Dude. In the right situation, I believe he could thrive as a starter. Until he gets that chance, why not finish out the last couple years of his rookie contract in Cincinnati learning from Burrow in a pressure-free environment?
I'd serve up a 2027 fourth-round pick to the Saints for Rattler's rights. Can't be burning any picks in this year's draft. This is my favorite non-Mariota option. We'll see how the Bengals play it.