Obviously the Cincinnati Bengals needed to pick up at least one new quarterback in the wake of Joe Burrow's turf toe injury, but such a player acquisition mission must strike a certain precarious balance.
Jake Browning has toiled away behind Burrow for years, and gets a shot to start for the first time since 2023. Current backup Brett Rypien wasn't going to create any QB controversy, but the Bengals shouldn't bring someone in who fans might be begging to play in the unlikely event Browning struggles that much.
Based on the news that broke Tuesday about how Cincinnati is addressing its post-Burrow outlook at the most important position in sports, the front office appears to have nailed it.
Bengals slayer Mike White and Sean Clifford sign in Cincinnati
NFL Media's Tom Pelissero reported on the Bengals' dual practice squad quarterback signings of Mike White and Sean Clifford, which create stellar depth behind starter Jake Browning.
The Mike White of all this is definitely the most intriguing part. He just spent last season backing up Josh Allen in Buffalo, so there's a touch of insider knowledge there. An overrated notion, to be sure, but it's not 100% nothing.
Whenever White has gotten an opportunity to play in the NFL, he's flashed starter-level upside. That was certainly the case back in 2021 against, you guessed it, the Bengals!
That's right. The Cincinnati team that made a run all the way to Super Bowl LVI was blindsided with a bazooka in the form of White's arm reigning terror on the Bengals secondary. On that strange Halloween holiday, White threw for 405 yards and three TDs in the New York Jets' 34-31 win. Dude even caught a Philly Special for a two-point conversion!
THE CROWD IS CHANTING MIKE WHITE#CINvsNYJ on CBS pic.twitter.com/dXlvjYa5HC
— New York Jets (@nyjets) October 31, 2021
Burrow threw for 259 yards and three TDs in that contest, yet it wasn't enough to overcome so much Mike White magic.
Mikey's Masterpiece was a 60-minute micro-Linsanity run that remains one of the most WTF standalone performances of my lifetime in any professional sport. We see what the Jets do to young QBs time and again, sabotaging their development. What White showed in that victory hinted that, in the right situation, he could flourish if called upon.
Probably a 1% chance White is the next Geno Smith. Would be hilarious since Geno was also a Jet once upon a time.
Regarding Sean Clifford, though, I totally dig the flier on him, too. Despite the fact that he was, in the eyes of many, overdrafted in the fifth round by Green Bay, he looked better than I expected in much of his Packers preseason action this year.
Pure passing at an above-average NFL standard isn't in the cards for Clifford, or so it seems at this stage of his development. The exciting element he brings to the team is pure speed and rushing ability. The Bengals can't run block to save their lives right now, so diversifying the scheme via little packages with Clifford as a glorified Wildcat QB could be a nice wrinkle.
If we're being honest, however, as long as Browning plays to the standard he showed in 2023 en route to a 4-3 starting record, these signings of White and Clifford won't mean much. In fact, I hope they prove to be nothing burgers, because that'd mean Browning stayed healthy and kept the Bengals in playoff contention.
My expectation is that White gets a call-up to the active roster in the next week or two, while Rypien and Clifford duke it out for the QB3 spot.