The Cincinnati Bengals' season took a major turn this past Sunday, as Joe Burrow went down with a turf toe injury and backup quarterback Jake Browning came to the rescue in a 31-27 win over the Jaguars.
Browning has his fair share of supporters across not only Who Dey Nation, but also in the national media. And for good reason. After all, the perpetual backup QB was in this spot in 2023 and thrived en route to a 4-3 record as the starter.
Thanks in large part to that successful stint that lasted almost half a season, Browning was held in high regard in some recently-released backup quarterback rankings.
Jake Browning ranks second only to Kirk Cousins in ESPN's backup quarterback rankings
ESPN's Seth Walder dropped a list of the top 12 backup QBs across the NFL as part of an annual exercise of his, placing Browning in the second spot just as the veteran field general gears up for at least a few months of starting for the Bengals.
Here's what Walder had to say on Browning, including some of the drawbacks that kept him below Captain Kirk:
"I had Browning third in this exercise a year ago thanks to his excellent play in place of Burrow in 2023. The sample was limited, but Browning had 283 dropbacks in seven starts and would have ranked 13th in QBR (60.8) and fifth in completion percentage over expectation (plus-3%) had he seen enough snaps to qualify.
"Of course, Browning is not without red flags. His performance in 2023 came with a low 6.1 air yards per attempt that would have ranked last among qualifying quarterbacks. He also took sacks at a high 9% rate."
For me, getting the ball out quickly with low air yards per pass attempt isn't a bad thing. Cincinnati's offensive line is a known issue, and the more pressure Browning can alleviate on his blockers and on himself by being decisive with the ball, the better off the Bengals should be.
While I fully believe it's ludicrous to blame Burrow for the pass protection problems he's had throughout his whole career, an interesting anecdote on that comes courtesy of Walder's article:
"Though the Bengals' offensive line has been consistently poor in pass block win rate during Burrow's tenure, it has fared much better blocking for Browning (60% vs. 49% with Burrow from 2023 to 2025). Is Browning (or Burrow) contributing to that discrepancy in some way? I don't know, but it's at least possible."
Browning does his fair share of big game hunting and scramble drills just like Burrow. Hard to pinpoint why the pass protection seems to improve with him in the lineup, because anyone with eyeballs and an ounce of ball knowledge — never mind ESPN guru and ex-NFL QB Dan Orlovsky — knows Burrow has the best pocket presence of anyone in the sport.
That's a bold statement. It's true, though. Think about how many collapsing pockets Burrow has to navigate, or how many true pass sets where his blockers take straight-up Ls and let defenders right into his lap — even on quick game passing concepts.
It had been a while since Browning got meaningful snaps before Week 2's rally to stun the Jags. He spoke at a press conference Wednesday about the difficulty of staying locked in, but asserted that he's "a year and a half better" than he was in his extended 2023 action.
Getting that unexpected, golden opportunity to start a couple seasons ago, only to be relegated back to bench duty, had to be tough for Browning.
Once healthy in 2024, Joe Brrr proceeded to lead the NFL in passing yards and TD passes. Zero hope for Browning to see the field. The most competitive human being alive would have trouble staying focused, knowing there's no chance of an on-field payoff for all the hard work and preparation.
The Bengals have capitalized on Browning's status as an exclusive rights free agent of late, giving him minimal contracts for a grand total of $1.945 million in salaries the past two seasons. Browning has a legit chance to play his way into a starting job in the coming months; he'll enter next offseason as a restricted free agent. Walder's rankings hint at the notion that Browning will do just that.
Speaking of backup QBs, the Bengals face the Vikings in Minnesota — and the hosts will be playing their own QB2 in Carson Wentz. He ranks all the way down at 11th in Walder's rankings.
Typically, that much of an on-paper disparity between two players at the most important position on the field bodes well for the side with the advantage! Do I smell a 3-0 start with Jakey Spin-Rate at the controls!? WHO DEY!!