Preseason opener is big chance for Bengals QB to remind potential suitors he's a stud

To see a somehow still-improving, superstar quarterback in Joe Burrow lead the Cincinnati Bengals onto the field is among the greatest sports-watching privileges of my lifetime. Burrow will do that in Thursday's preseason opener in Philadelphia.

But once Burrow and the Bengals' high-octane offensive A-team leave the gridiron for the evening, the reins will go over to a journeyman QB who, I say, is still the most underrated trade asset in the entire National Football League.

Real ones know who I'm talking about. The man who ignited the Jacksonville Jaguars' continued tailspin. He who filled in for Burrow down the stretch of the 2023 season, kept Cincinnati in the playoff hunt till Week 17, and carried a lead into the fourth quarter at Arrowhead Stadium.

Shall I drop any more hints? Or shall we get into the thick of it? Let's go with the latter. Because you, reader, know what time it is. For the first time in too many moons, it's GAME DEY!!

Jake Browning's quest to emerge as starting QB begins vs. Eagles

I will bang the drum for Jake Browning to be a starting quarterback until it finally happens again. There's a zero point zero percent chance Browning ever moves past Burrow on the depth chart as long as Joe Brrr is healthy. Therefore, Browning's next opportunity must come someplace else.

These points I made earlier this year still stand:

The league at large appears to agree with me on that last point — at least as far as the draft went. Quarterbacks drafted after Cam Ward at No. 1 overall include Jaxson Dart, a third-stringer for the Giants, and Tyler Shough, who's yet to beat out Spencer Rattler for the starting job.

Oh, and Shedeur Sanders waited till the fifth round to hear his name called to Cleveland. Yikes on all fronts there.

And I was thinking about my guy Browning this week while diving into the suspension to Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison. Talk about somebody with that dawg in him.

Browning was the QB versus the Vikings when the Bengals last faced them in 2023. Cincinnati prevailed 27-24 in overtime. Browning's stat line was 29-of-42 passing for 324 yards, two TDs, one INT, and completions to eleven different receivers. Hardly just throwing a bunch of 50-50 prayer balls to Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

Jake can absolutely spin it. His pocket presence is outstanding. His accuracy is self-evident. His mobility is super underrated, much like Burrow's. Other than lacking in-game experience and the wisdom that comes from those live reps, I struggle to poke any major holes in Browning's game other than a lack of elite arm strength.

When I was outlining the three Bengals players to watch on Thursday in Philly, I mentioned how the Eagles have such a deep roster that reps against even some of their second- and third-stringers will give the Bengals some good looks. The major question is, can Browning's supporting cast — namely the backups blocking for him — hold up well enough to help him to a productive night?

I get the sense that Browning will take this preseason as seriously as he ever has, and will have all 10 men in his unit absolutely locked in.

If the Titans won't trade for Jake Browning, maybe someone else will

Some commenters on X/Twitter told me that my various Browning takes above were either embarrassing, or implied that he went on a Linsanity type of run when he filled in for Burrow after that scary, season-ending wrist injury in '23.

I couldn't disagree more with the notion that Browning's run of seven starts — where he logged a 4-3 record with a 70.4% completion rate, 12 TD passes, and a 98.4 passer rating — was a total fluke. Far from it. Surely at least one NFL personnel department sees this the way I do.

Still only 29 years young, with hardly any wear and tear on his body from the NFL and no doubt dying for a chance to start again, Jake Browning and his 2025 cap hit of just over $1 million is the biggest bargain in the league at its most critical position.

To this day, I can't believe the Tennessee Titans, led by ex-Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan, didn't kick the tires on Browning this offseason. Just listen to what Callahan said about him last offseason.

The Titans could've traded an early Day 3 pick for him or thereabouts, taken a king's ransom offer to trade down with the Giants in a Cam Ward sweepstakes, and still wound up with Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter.

Not that I think Ward is going to be a bad QB. I really like him, but the Titans could've really set themselves up well. Or heck, say Tennessee did pull off the Browning trade, still drafted Ward, and eased him into action rather than throwing him in the fire as a rookie from the jump.

Whether Browning is traded this year, or the Bengals keep him on standby in the event of another catastrophic Burrow injury — NOT GONNA HAPPEN! — he can still put some quality reps on film to remind QB-needy teams he's still out there and he more than belongs on an NFL field.

If the Rams can't get Matthew Stafford back in due time from a nagging back issue, or one of Anthony Richardson or Daniel Jones goes down hurt for the Colts, don't be surprised if Les Snead or Chris Ballard at least pick up the phone and call Cincinnati about Browning. Just saying. Crazier things have happened in this league, that's for sure.

In the event that you're a believer in the Browning "Linsanity" theory, I invite you to watch this extensive breakdown of his performance in that Vikings game. Pretty sure you'll change your mind.

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