The Cincinnati Bengals are fortunate to have one of the best quarterbacks in the league in Joe Burrow. They're also fortunate to have a proven backup sitting behind Burrow in Jake Browning, who started nine games in Burrow's absence during the 2023 season and won four of those seven games.
With Browning's experience starting for the Bengals, it's pretty much a foregone conclusion that he'll win the backup quarterback job over Desmond Ridder and Payton Thorne. Having other quarterbacks on the roster is a formality this time of year and the Bengals are fortunate to know what they have in Browning.
Jake Browning is the obvious choice to back up Joe Burrow in 2025
Browning first joined the Bengals in 2021 after he didn't make the Vikings roster. He spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons on Cincinnati's practice squad and in 2023, he finally had a chance to compete for a backup job with the team. While many thought Trevor Siemian was the obvious choice to be Burrow's backup for the 2023 season, Browning played slightly better during the preseason and won the job.
This ended up being a huge deal, as Burrow was injured halfway through the season, forcing Browning into action. He went 4-3 as a starter while throwing for 1,936 yards, 12 touchdowns, and seven picks in nine total games. Browning remained the backup in 2024 but only appeared in three games.
As for the other guys hoping to make it onto the Bengals' roster (but probably know they're either destined for the practice squad or out of the league), Ridder is a name that Cincinnati natives know well considering where he played college ball at. Ridder helped lead the Cincinnati Bearcats to a spot in the College Football Playoff semi-finals and was selected in the third round by the Atlanta Falcons months later.
Ridder spent two years in Atlanta before playing for the Raiders in 2024 and now he's hoping to stick around with the Bengals. The other quarterback on the Bengals' depth chart is Payton Thorne, who played at Michigan State for three years before transferring to Auburn for the final two years of his college eligiblity. He threw 21 touchdown passes and nine interceptions for the Tigers during the 2024 season.
Given Browning's experience in an actual regular season NFL game, he's the clear favorite to be Burrow's backup in 2025. This is a good situation for the Bengals to be in because he's capable of stepping up and leading the Bengals for a few games if called upon. The other two guys haven't shown that they're capable of doing the same thing, making this an easy decision for Zac Taylor and the coaching staff.