What Bengals' interest in Trevor Siemian tells us about backup QB situation

The Cincinnati Bengals had NFL journeyman Trevor Siemian in for a visit on Wednesday, according to reports. What does this tell us about the Bengals' backup quarterback situation?

Siemian, a seventh-round pick out of Northwestern in the 2015 NFL Draft by the Broncos, has played for four teams since entering the league. He started 24 games for the Broncos in the 2016 and 2017 seasons before mainly being used as a backup afterward.

Since leaving the Broncos, Siemian has played for the Jets, Saints, and Bears and, in my opinion, he's a decent backup. Siemian is someone who can step in for a few games and play well. He stepped up for the Saints when Jameis Winston went down early in the 2021 season and looked okay for a few games before defenses figured him out more.

While we don't have anymore information on Siemian's visit with the Bengals, the fact that he's visiting with Cincinnati tells us quite a bit about the backup quarterback situation. Brandon Allen hasn't signed anywhere and could still be brought back but the fact that he hasn't been shows that Cincinnati is willing to upgrade at the QB2 spot.

What do we know about Bengals backup QB situation?

Allen has been Joe Burrow's backup since the former No. 1 overall pick entered the league. While Allen is familiar with the offense and the organization clearly likes the guy, he's never given us a ton of confidence when he's been playing in a game.

Siemian is a backup quarterback for a reason but there would likely be a lot more confidence in him than there would be for Allen, especially if Burrow were to miss a few games. Quite frankly, if Burrow is missing more than a few games, the Bengals aren't going to be anywhere near the same team as they are without him but they'd be in better shape with Siemian than with Allen.

With the Bengals' interest in Siemian and no word about them re-signing Allen, it feels as though they're looking to upgrade the backup signal-caller situation.