The Cincinnati Bengals turned to their division rivals for a much-needed solution at quarterback, acquiring Joe Flacco in a trade with the Cleveland Browns.
Cincinnati also received a sixth-round draft pick while Cleveland landed a fifth-round pick in the trade, which was announced Tuesday.
The Bengals have been seeking a long-term help under center since franchise quarterback Joe Burrow suffered a toe injury in Week 2. Jake Browning has struggled since replacing Burrow, throwing eight interceptions over parts of four games.
Flacco joins Cincinnati two days after the Bengals (2-3) lost their third straight game with Browning, who threw three more interceptions in Sunday’s 37-24 loss to the Detroit Lions. Cincinnati has been outscored 113-37 during the three-game skid.
Bengals coach Zac Taylor was noncommittal when asked Sunday about Browning’s status as the starter, saying the organization would “look at all personnel to make sure we’re doing the right thing.” Taylor also acknowledged that speculation about Browning’s role was “fair” because of “the amount of turnovers that we had.”
The Bengals, who entered the season with a healthy Burrow and lofty expectations, apparently will turn to the 40-year-old Flacco, who has a recent history of energizing offenses.
Flacco was named the Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year in 2023 after a prolific five-game stretch with the Browns, who went 4-1 over that span. The former Super Bowl MVP passed for 1,616 yards and 13 touchdowns after replacing the injured Deshaun Watson, leading Cleveland to an unlikely postseason berth.
Flacco had a productive but shaky stretch last season with the Indianapolis Colts, where he replaced an injured Anthony Richardson. In eight games — six starts — with Indianapolis, Flacco completed 65.3% of his passes for 1761 yards and 12 touchdowns.
The Bengals hope the trade helps keep them in postseason contention while Burrow is on injured reserve. Sources told ESPN last month that Burrow was expected to miss at least three months after undergoing toe surgery, but the Bengals have left open the possibility that the star quarterback will return at some point this season.
Taylor has stated that the Bengals want to have a starting quarterback in place by Wednesday, the first practice of the game week, ahead of Sunday’s road matchup in Green Bay against the Packers. Cincinnati is second in the AFC North, behind only the Steelers (3-1), and has a 9.2% chance of making the postseason, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index.
Once he plays for Cincinnati, Flacco will have played for every AFC North team except for the Steelers. He spent the first 11 years of his career with the Ravens, where he was named Super Bowl XLVII MVP in a win over the 49ers. The Bengals have two games upcoming this season against the Ravens, including a Thanksgiving night contest in Baltimore.
The Browns brought back Flacco this past offseason to provide veteran leadership to a crowded quarterback room that also included rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. The 18-year veteran started Cleveland’s first four games this season before being replaced by Gabriel in last Sunday’s loss to the Vikings.
Flacco’s departure from Cleveland could open the door for Sanders to be elevated to the No. 2 quarterback spot behind Gabriel. Sanders has been Cleveland’s emergency third-string quarterback for the first five games of the season.
Bailey Zappe is on Cleveland’s practice squad, and Deshaun Watson remains on the physically unable to perform list as he rehabs from an Achilles injury.
ESPN’s Ben Baby and Daniel Oyefusi contributed to this report.
