The Cincinnati Bengals put faith in Jake Browning, and now they might be regretting it. Browning was 4-3 as a starter when he took over back in 2023. He’s now 0-1 as a starter this season, however, and looked awful against the Minnesota Vikings. The Bengals invested way too much into their offense to be worried about who’s throwing the ball. It’s time for them to make the call that makes too much sense.
Relying on Browning to hold this team over for the next three months is accepting this will be another year of missing the playoffs. If that’s what Cincinnati wants to do and turn to next year when Joe Burrow is back healthy, then they can stand pat and let Browning run this team into the ground.
If they want to make the best effort to turn things around, they need to start exploring every option they can to get a veteran quarterback that will improve this offense. This is the trade the Bengals should make to make sure this season doesn’t go awry.
This trade would give the Bengals the offense they need to survive without Joe Burrow
Jameis Winston makes too much sense for a few reasons. For one, he’s played on miserable teams for most of his career and subsequently, played behind some terrible offensive lines. Last year, he played behind the Cleveland Browns’ offensive line and still threw for more than 2,000 yards in 12 games.
The problem with adding Winston is he’s a risk-taker and the Bengals don’t need him to take unnecessary risks and force bad throws hoping it works out. They need a quarterback that won’t lose them games. Winston has a turnover problem that he can’t seem to shake, which makes this such a risky move.
Winston’s arm strength is perfect for this offense, but it could be a detriment too. One thing we can agree on, even if it is a risk, he’s a much better option than Browning. Winston can still elevate this offense in ways Browning clearly can’t. It’s a low-cost move that would keep them relevant in the NFL playoff discussion.
Jameis Winston with Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins would terrorize the AFC
The other reason this is too good of a move to pass up is because Winston hasn’t played with elite weapons on offense since his early days with Tampa Bay and New Orleans. If you give him Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, he might throw for 5,000 yards and not even play a full season. The problem with that is he knows he can take risks with elite playmakers.
Because of that, the Bengals would have to accept that part of the Jameis Winston Experience is taking the arm strength with the inaccuracy. In his 12 games last year, he threw 12 interceptions. In seasons where he played at least 10 games, he had double-digit interceptions in every season, including the infamous 2019 season where he threw for over 5,000 yards with 35 touchdown passes and 30 interceptions.
If you're Cincinnati, based on how Browning looked, that’s the risk you have to take. Winston will know he won’t have to be wild with his passes like he was earlier in his career. Interceptions are inevitable, but it’s worth it compared to what they already have.