Bengals: 3 Joe Burrow replacements to add if QB misses serious time

Bengals’ Joe Burrow replacement No. 2: Teddy Bridgewater, Free Agent

Very much in the same vein as Andy Dalton in terms of the lack of upside but without the cost of draft capital, another potential option for the Bengals would definitely be veteran Teddy Bridgewater, who remains a free agent after spending last season with the Miami Dolphins.

Playing in five games while starting two for the Dolphins a year ago, Bridgewater was solid, going 49-of-79 (62%) for 683 yards with four touchdowns and an equal number of interceptions on the year. That’s slightly worse than his career averages — 64.7% completion rate, 75-47 touchdown-interception ratio — but still worthwhile for a stopgap.

At just 30 years old, there should still be a market for Bridgewater late in free agency as teams, such as Cincinnati in this situation, explore the waters due to injuries or underperformance in training camp.

More importantly, he would be another great stopgap option if Burrow is slate to miss some time but ultimately return this season. Much like Dalton, he can come in and not lose the Bengals games or put them out of the playoff race.

Carson Wentz is also available in free agency but, given the murmurs about his locker room presence being an issue and his erratic on-field performance, the theoretical upside of his talent — which is admittedly greater than that of Bridgewater — is outweighed by the potential adverse effects he could have on the offense.

Particularly in the aforementioned scenario that Burrow is back this season, the risks of Wentz aren’t worth it, making Bridgewater the far superior free agency option for the Bengals.