Sean Clifford could be a developmental backup QB option for Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals currently only have two quarterbacks on their roster. That will more than likely change after the 2023 NFL Draft and recently, they're working out Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford, who is originally from Cincinnati.

Clifford was quoted as saying "If it's orange and black, I wouldn't be too mad, for sure" when it comes to his NFL future. Obviously the starting quarterback position is taken but the only other quarterback on the roster is Jake Browning, who has never played a snap in the NFL.

The Bengals haven't brought Brandon Allen back yet. That makes it seem as though they're moving on from that situation and maybe looking to draft a project to develop as a backup to Burrow.

Bengals could mold Sean Clifford into Joe Burrow's long-term backup

Clifford won't be a high draft pick so the Bengals could nab him on Day 3 and develop him into Burrow's backup. Ian Cummings of Pro Football Network noted that Clifford is probably going to be a sixth or seventh-round pick, which would work out well for Cincinnati if that ended up happening.

During the 2022 season, Clifford threw for 2,822 yards, 24 touchdowns, and seven interceptions and capped off his college career with a Rose Bowl victory. He was a sixth-year senior this past season and he'll be 25 years old when the 2023 regular season gets underway so that's something else to take into consideration here.

The Bengals have a lot of question marks surrounding the backup quarterback position and while Clifford wouldn't be ready to handle that role this season, perhaps by 2024 he'd be ready to slide into the QB2 role and back up Burrow.