Jake Browning quietly earned something that most backups don’t

While the Cincinnati Bengals would rather not have lost Joe Burrow for close to half the season in 2023, some good did come out of it. That was the emergence of Jake Browning, who, before taking over for Burrow when he went down, had been a complete unknown as a starting quarterback.

Browning went on to impress in his seven starts, helping lead the Bengals to a winning record. They might not have made the postseason that year but Browning showed that, if Burrow went down, he could fill in and help the team win games.

Gilberto Manzano of Sports Illustrated was impressed with Browning, so much so that he ranked the Bengals signal-caller as the fourth-best backup quarterback in the NFL.

"Browning, last year’s No. 1-rated backup QB, wasn’t needed to start last year with Joe Burrow staying healthy the entire 2024 season. Still, Browning cracks the top five because of his sensational seven starts in 2023 when he completed 70.4% of his passes and recorded 1,936 yards for 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions."

Bengals fans should be thrilled that Joe Burrow has one of the best backups

While Burrow is an absolute beast when he's on the field, the sad reality is that he has struggled to stay healthy during his NFL career. He missed a chunk of his rookie season in 2020 and then also missed quite a bit of time in 2023, which is what allowed Browning to show what he could do. A lot of backups don't get that opportunity whether that's because they're not playing well when thrown to the wolves or because the starter returns but Browning had seven starts to show that he's one of the best QB2s in the NFL.

Backups are backups because they're either not good enough to start full-time or they're inexperienced. Browning was an inexperienced backup for the Bengals who beat out Trevor Siemian for the job in 2023 and was a complete unknown when he was thrust into action after Burrow went down.

While Browning did struggle in the back half of his starts after teams had more film on him, he showed that, if Burrow only misses a few games, he can step in and help lead the Bengals to victory. So, not only do the Cincinnati Bengals have one of the best starting quarterbacks in the league, but they have one of the best backup quarterbacks as well.