Losing Joe Burrow for likely the rest of the season was the one thing Cincinnati Bengals fans were hoping didn't happen this year. Unfortunately, Burrow suffered a toe injury in Week 2 and will be out at least three months, which means December would be the earliest he could return to the lineup.
If the Bengals don't have anything to play for at that point, then Burrow likely won't come back and suit up for meaningless games. If the playoffs could be still be a possibility, however, that'd be a completely different story.
Since Burrow has gone down, the Bengals have played two games without him as the starter and they've gotten demolished in both of those games. Jake Browning was a solid backup two years ago when Burrow missed time but he's proven that he's not the same reliable option now.
If the Bengals don't find another quarterback before the trade deadline, then they could be staring at a lost season. That's frustrating to the fans but imagine how annoyed guys like Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins will be, knowing they're in their prime and unable to help this team get out of the hole they currently find themselves in. That's why the Bengals have to throw something to the wall and see if it sticks.
Matt Verderame and Gilberto Manzano of Sports Illustrated came up with one trade every NFL team should make before the deadline and one of the trades they listed was the Bengals trading a conditional fifth-round pick to the Falcons in exchange for Kirk Cousins.
Fifth-round pick for Kirk Cousins should be an easy decision for Bengals
Now, it's worth noting that there's a big downside to this potential trade and that's Cousins' contract. Cousins is still owed $21 million this year but, as Verderame put it, Cousins "already received most of the money on the four-year, $180 million deal he signed in Atlanta last year."
What the Bengals need to determine is if they think it's worth paying Cousins to try and keep the team afloat so Burrow can come back and do what he does best, which is win games. The alternative option is to stick with Browning and basically let this season go down the drain.
Cousins is easily the best quarterback available on the trade market and could bring out the best of Chase and Higgins. Unfortunately, he's the most expensive too and that's probably why this won't end up happening. If it did, however, the Bengals could tread water and maybe even shoot for the division title since the Ravens are ravaged by injuries and don't look to be their usual selves.
It feels like it's worth the risk. Will the front office agree?