Aside from Browning, the only other signal-caller on the active roster is Brett Rypien, who was a castoff of the Minnesota Vikings late in the preseason. Meanwhile, Burrow could miss most of what remains of the year after surgery to repair damage from turf toe that is likely to sideline him until at least December.
Cincinnati inked both Mike White and Sean Clifford to the practice squad on Sept. 17 in the wake of Burrow’s injury, but Rypien and White have just 11 NFL starts between them (4-7 record), while Clifford has thrown just three passes in two regular-season appearances since joining the league in 2023.
Browning was relatively impressive across a long stretch two years ago as Burrow’s replacement, leading the team to a 4-3 record in nine appearances and tallying 1,936 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions. However, he hasn’t been able to replicate that success across two games in 2025, he’s leading the NFL with five interceptions, and the Bengals offense has turned the football over eight times total in his two appearances.
None of the current options in free agency are promising, as Cincinnati’s decision to sign White and Clifford to the practice squad after elevating Rypien into the QB2 role clearly indicates. The trade market isn’t much better, however 10-time Pro Bowler Russell Wilson may be worth a flier after the New York Giants benched him earlier this week in favor of rookie Jaxson Dart, as Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report proposed.
“With Jameis Winston in the fold as Dart’s backup/mentor, the Giants should immediately view [Wilson] as expendable,” Knox wrote. “While Wilson has only looked good in one of his three outings this season, he’s a very experienced starter who could potentially fill in for one of the myriad of injured quarterbacks for a game or two. Perhaps more importantly, Wilson’s $2 million base salary would make him a reasonable target for virtually any team.”
Wilson is now 36 years old, but he can still get it done against average and below-average defenses. He proved as much in Week 2 against the Dallas Cowboys, when he threw for 450 yards and three scores in a 40-37 overtime road loss.
And with Wilson recently being benched — a move head coach Brian Daboll made clear was for the rest of the season — perhaps the Giants would be inclined to part with Wilson and recoup any form of draft compensation with Jameis Winston a capable backup behind Dart.
