The Bengals started reaching out to free agent quarterbacks after Joe Burrow’s toe injury on Sunday and they decided to double down on additions at the position.
According to multiple reports, the Bengals are going to sign Sean Clifford and Mike White to their practice squad. Brett Rypien has been on the practice squad, but could move up to the 53-man roster now that Jake Browning will be the No. 1 quarterback in Cincinnati.
Clifford was a 2023 Packers fifth-round pick and was released by the team in August. He appeared in two games as a rookie and completed his only pass attempt for a 37-yard gain.
White was with the Bills this summer and played in one game for Buffalo last season. He made six appearances for the Dolphins and started seven games for the Jets in 2021 and 2022.
The most memorable of those games came against his new team in 2021. White threw for 405 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Jets to a 34-31 win over the Bengals.
Joe Burrow is going to miss the next three months as a result of the toe injury he suffered on Sunday and the Bengals are turning to Jake Browning as their starting quarterback.
Browning rallied the team to a win over the Jaguars after Burrow went down and head coach Zac Taylor said at a Monday press conference that “the guys will ride behind” the backup. Taylor noted that Browning started seven games for the team in 2023 and said that the quarterback has “earned the right to be in the spotlight.”
Taylor also said that the team’s goals aren’t going to change because Burrow is out of the picture.
“I feel very confident in Jake,” Taylor said. “I think Jake has proven his caliber in this league and he can help us win football games, and contend for all the things we want to contend for.”
Taylor said that the team will be looking for another quarterback to go with Browning and Brett Rypien, but gave no indication that such an addition would be as anything other than depth behind the new starter in Cincinnati.
The NFL tries to keep quarterbacks healthy, because quarterbacks make the game go.
In two weeks, things are going the wrong way.
Five starting quarterbacks are currently injured. 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy emerged from Week 1 with a toe injury. On Sunday, four other starting quarterbacks were injured: Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (knee), Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (toe), Jets quarterback Justin Fields (concussion), and Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (ankle).
Bills quarterback Josh Allen also got busted in the nose, but he wasn’t listed on Monday’s injury report in advance of Thursday night’s game against the Dolphins.
Last year, only two quarterbacks were injured in the early weeks of the season: Packers quarterback Jordan Love (knee) and Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (concussion).
On Monday night, Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield grabbed his left knee after going to the ground in the first half. He has missed no time.
With Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy reportedly out up to four weeks due to a sprained ankle, Carson Wentz becomes the next man up.
At some point over the next month, will undrafted rookie Max Brosmer become the next man in?
Brosmer, the only one of three backups throughout the offseason program and training camp to make it to the 53-man roster (Sam Howell and Brett Rypien are gone), played at the University of Minnesota last season. And the Vikings love him.
He’s not currently ready. Wentz, with 94 career regular-season starts, is — even if hasn’t been around for very long.
We saw this movie two years ago. Wentz will play unless and until he squanders the opportunity. Unless and until the Vikings add another veteran, Brosmer will be the only alternative.
The season could quickly go sideways for the Vikings, after last Monday night’s thrilling win. McCarthy has had one quality quarter in two games. And while last night’s injury likely impacted his late-game play, some Vikings fans have to be wondering whether they should have kept Sam Darnold or Daniel Jones. Or signed Aaron Rodgers. Or traded for Kirk Cousins.
The last part remains possible. If, when McCarthy returns, the struggles continue, the Vikings will have until the Tuesday after Week 9 to decide whether to bring Kirk home in an effort to save the 2025 campaign.
Quarterback J.J. McCarthy isn’t the only Minnesota player who is unlikely to play in the Week 3 matchup against Cincinnati.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters that running back Aaron Jones is unlikely to play on Sunday with his hamstring injury.
“[W]e’ll figure out kind of the determining factor for that timeline,” O’Connell said.
Jones was sidelined during the second half of last night’s game. He took five carries for 23 yards before exiting the contest.
Additionally, center Ryan Kelly and left tackle Justin Skule are both in the concussion protocol. While O’Connell said they’ve shown some “positive early signs,” the availability of Kelly and Skule is up to the medical professionals.
O’Connell also noted that left tackle Christian Darrisaw is close to returning, so there’s a chance he could be available this week.
Minnesota’s first injury report of the week will be out on Wednesday.
