If you don't have a quarterback in the NFL, your season is sunk, and the Cincinnati Bengals are without their superstar at the most important position in sports.
Jake Browning is starting in place of Joe Burrow just as he did in 2023. However, the longer runway, combined with Browning's rough Week 3 performance in a 48-10 loss to the Vikings has speculation swirling that Cincinnati could trade for another QB.
The latest intel from national insiders hints at the Bengals as a suitor to trade for a certain recently benched veteran. And Who Dey Nation should pray that this deal doesn't come to pass.
Bengals shouldn't touch Russell Wilson trade with a 10-foot pole
NFL Media's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo joined forces on a piece that reports Russell Wilson is a candidate to be moved at the NFL trade deadline, which falls on November 4.
Here's a little excerpt from the story on a hypothetical trade involving the New York Giants signal-caller, as he just lost his job to rookie first-round pick Jaxson Dart entering Week 4. Rapoport and Garafolo namechecks the Bengals as an interested prospective party.
"The Giants are likely to consider such a move for the right price, a luxury because Jameis Winston, a veteran with 87 starts, would then serve as their backup behind Dart. Winston currently is QB3 on the Giants' depth chart. The Bengals are currently the only team to lose their starting QB for an extended period after Joe Burrow underwent toe surgery that is expected to sideline him at least three months. A total of 59 quarterbacks started games in 2024, however. More QB injuries are likely to occur, and Wilson would be available if that happens."
It's not really on-brand for the Bengals to make a big swing at the trade deadline. This would be an especially stupid move if they did — regardless of how Browning looks.
Think about it this way: Wilson just threw for 450 yards in Week 2, only to be relegated to bench duties one single start later. What does that tell you? I don't even know what it tells me, except that the weird energy around DangeRuss lingers unlike anything I've seen in my life of watching and covering sports.
The Bengals are on pretty thin ice right now. All the momentum from their 2-0 start is about to evaporate if they get embarrassed on Monday Night Football in Denver. Wilson doesn't exactly have a sterling reputation as a teammate, or what you would call an authentic leader.
How would Wilson's presence in Cincinnati help anyone? Browning has so much more familiarity with Zac Taylor's offense, and in terms of pure dropback passing from the pocket, Wilson has struggled throughout his career to see the middle of the field, unless he's attacking downfield on seam or post routes.
Plus, Wilson isn't the dynamic athlete he once was. It's no secret the Bengals' offensive line has struggled a lot, and they can't establish the run to save their lives through three games.
Other than the obivous factor of Burrow's injury, it eludes my rational grasp as to how anyone could think bringing Russell Wilson to Cincinnati — at the trade deadline, no less, where he has to learn the playbook on the fly! — is a bright idea.