Joe Burrow is the one player the Cincinnati Bengals cannot afford to lose since he is the team’s best chance at achieving their first Super Bowl championship. After Burrow left Thursday’s Bengals practice with a calf injury and had to be carried off, Cincinnati is without its franchise quarterback.
Burrow’s injury will likely affect him for a number of games, but the Bengals won’t know for how long until they receive official word. The Bengals will have to work hard to maintain their chances of winning the Super Bowl if Burrow loses a large amount of time.
Burrow obviously needs to take home a championship for Cincinnati. On the roster and in free agency, there are still a few choices available
The Bengals backup quarterback, Cincinnati signed Siemian to a one-year contract this offseason. Siemian has started six games over the last four years and 30 in his eight-year career, not winning a game he’s started since 2017.
Siemian played two games last season, going 15 of 26 for 184 yards (57.7%) with a touchdown and an interception (76.4 rating). There may be better options in free agency if the Bengals don’t want to start Siemian.
If Wentz wants one last opportunity to start, he may have found it with the Bengals. Wentz completed 62.3% of his passes for 1,755 yards last year with 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions (80.2 rating), getting benched in favor of Taylor Heinicke and Sam Howell.
Wentz has started for three different teams in the last three seasons and still hasn’t found a job to this point (he’s 30 years old). Patience may have been a virtue for the veteran, who has started 92 of 93 games played in his seven-year career.
Bridgewater is a capable backup quarterback who might start a few games for the Bengals, making him a good insurance policy. He played five games for the Miami Dolphins last season, making 62% of his throws for 683 yards, four touchdowns, and four interceptions (85.6 rating). He started two of those games.
For the Denver Broncos in 2021, the 30-year-old Bridgewater started 14 games and completed 66.9% of quarterback passes for 3,052 yards with 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions (94.9 rating). Bridgewater is a fantastic player to have in charge of the offense if the Bengals are looking for a dependable option that can keep a great club in games.
With 15 seasons in the league, Flacco is 38 years old. Since he left the Baltimore Ravens, he has moved around the league, but some clubs still value having him as a seasoned backup
In five games last year, Flacco, who started four for the New York Jets, completed 57.6% of his throws for 1,051 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions (76.2 rating). At worst, he serves as a useful backup.
The former Super Bowl MVP is unlikely to receive a call because it seems like his days as a starting quarterback are over. For the Indianapolis Colts in 2022, Foles started two games. He completed only 59.5% of his passes for 224 yards, zero touchdowns, and four interceptions (34.3 rating).
Foles is a valuable insurance policy that can pick up one or two victories for a competitive club under the correct system. If Burrow is only out for a couple of weeks, the Bengals might fare much worse.
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