Many expected Jake Browning to keep the Cincinnati Bengals on track superstar quarterback Joe Burrow's stead, considering he's done it before. However, to put it mildly, that's been far from the case thus far.
Browning's shortcomings are among the top reasons why the Bengals dropped their third consecutive game in a dispiriting 37-24 Week 5 loss to the Detroit Lions.
A quarter-plus of garbage time made his box score numbers look much better than it really was. Nevertheless, things have reached a point where the NFL's Nov. 4 trade deadline should represent a hard cutoff date for Cincinnati to replace him.
Bengals left with no choice but replace Jake Browning by 2025 NFL trade deadline
Recent reporting has indicated the Bengals plan to proceed with Browning until Burrow returns. Nevertheless, that was before the club's latest defeat at the hands of Detroit. The idea of exploring external additions is more appealing, let alone imperative, assuming Cincy's front office saw what we did.
For the third time in four appearances this season, Browning took at least two sacks and threw multiple interceptions. He was unable to generate move the chains and connect with his receivers against the Lions, which has been a recurring theme. His struggles continued to drag down the entire Bengals offense until the contest was out of reach.
At least he took accountability after the fact, but Browning is working his way into an inaugural moniker: Captain Obvious.
Jake Browning takes full responsibility for his performance: I need to stop throwing interceptions. pic.twitter.com/Jb5iH5t718
— Kelsey Conway (@KelseyLConway) October 6, 2025
Maybe Browning will carry the momentum from his efforts in the late stages of a blowout moving forward. Yet, upcoming matchups with the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers' stout defenses suggest it could be more of the same.
How much more are the Bengals willing to take? The 2-0 cushion Burrow afforded them has vanished with him suffering turf toe with torn ligaments and landing on injured reserve. Cincy is slowing watching seeing their playoff hopes crumble in real time; why not try to stop the bleeding before it's too late?
As the saying goes, "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." Whether it be the Atlanta Falcons' Kirk Cousins or Russell Wilson of the New York Giants, there are proven veteran options the Bengals can pursue. Regardless of who, it's clear Browning isn't a viable fill-in until Burrow is ready to rejoin the lineup, which won't be until at least mid-December.