After losing 3 straight games, Zac Taylor’s stance on Jake Browning seemed like it had shifted a little bit. He didn’t say that Browning won’t be the starter, but he also didn’t commit to him as the starter moving forward. With the Bengals season slowly slipping away, people around the team started to get a feeling like something might happen.
On Tuesday, additional speculation surrounding a move strengthened when the Bengals released QB Mike White from the practice squad. White had been added to the practice squad following Burrow’s injury.
With the extra practice squad spot, the team brought back Howard Cross III, who had recently been waived. Cross III is a rookie UDFA who had a solid preseason, and will continue his development within the organization.
Although Cross III was a straight swap on the practice squad for White, the subtraction of a QB was notable, and now the speculation of a trade has come to fruition.
The Cincinnati Bengals have acquired:
QB, Joe Flacco
6th Round Pick (2026)
The Cleveland Browns have acquired:
5th Round Pick (2026)
Yes, that’s right. The Bengals not only made a trade, but made one within the division.
Flacco, of course, is no stranger to the AFC North. He was a 2008 1st round pick of the Baltimore Ravens, and spent a decade facing the Bengals in divisional matchups. Then, he had two separate stints with the Browns, another AFC North rival. He had been the starter through the first 4 weeks, but was recently benched in favour of rookie Dillon Gabriel.
In Cincinnati, Flacco will make his third stop in the division. After Jake Browning struggled in his three starts, Flacco will be tasked with salvaging the season, with the hope that they can remain in the hunt until Joe Burrow returns, possibly in December.
With this being a mid-week trade, it would not be a surprise to see Browning start in week 6 against the Packers. But if he does, the leash will certainly be short. And for a conservative team like the Bengals to make this trade, you know it is not for Flacco to sit on the bench. At some point soon, he will be the starting QB of the Bengals.
Featured Image Via: Keith Allison (CC)