Bengals QB Jake Browning: 5 things to know about Joe Burrow’s backup

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is questionable to play in the team’s Week 3 Monday Night Football matchup with the Los Angeles Rams.

Burrow tweaked the right calf injury he initially suffered July 27 in the final minutes of the Bengals’ Week 2 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. The 26-year-old was a limited participant in practice on Friday and Saturday. Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor has yet to announce if his Pro Bowl QB will be under center against the Rams.

The Bengals are 0-2 and seeking their first win of the season Monday night. So, what will they do if Burrow can’t play against the Rams? Backup quarterback Jake Browning will make the first start of his five-year NFL career.

Here are five things to know about Browning before he potentially sees the field.

High School Record-Setter

Browning’s name might be familiar to any prep football fanatics.

The signal-caller broke the national record for touchdown passes during his time at Folsom High School in California. Browning, a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year in California, threw 229 touchdowns over three varsity seasons in high school. That includes 91 touchdown passes during his senior season in 2014 when Folsom went 16-0.

“I don’t think about it,” Browning told the Sacramento Bee after breaking the passing touchdowns record. “Someone might tell me afterward and I’ll be like, ‘Oh, that’s kind of cool.’ But then you move on. If we broke a rushing record and were still undefeated, then I’d be just as happy. Because we’re winning.”

Browning also owns California state records for career pass attempts (1,708), completions (1,191), and yards (16,775).

Bengals offensive tackle Jonah Williams was a high school teammate of Browning’s.

Four-Season Starter at Washington

Browning was a four-star recruit coming out of his record-breaking high school career, according to 247Sports. Alabama offered Browning a scholarship to play in Tuscaloosa without him ever visiting the campus. Oklahoma State and Colorado were among the other teams showing interest. But Browning opted to stay on the West Coast.

The only college Browning visited was the one he signed with: Washington.

Over four years as a starter for the Huskies, Browning set numerous school records, including top marks in career passing attempts (1,483), completions (958), yards (12,296) and touchdowns (94). Browning won 39 of his career college starts, the most ever by a Pac-12 quarterback.

Browning finished sixth in Heisman Trophy voting as a sophomore in 2016. That season, the Huskies made the College Football Playoff and Browning threw 43 touchdowns.

Started Out With Minnesota Vikings

After not hearing his name called in any of the seven rounds of the 2019 NFL Draft, Browning signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent. Browning spent the 2019 and 2020 seasons on Minnesota’s practice squad.

Browning was waived by the Vikings during the final cuts of the 2021 preseason. He then signed with the Bengals practice squad, where he spent the team’s run to Super Bowl LVI. The Bengals kept Browning on their practice squad last season and listed him as their No. 3 quarterback.

Won Backup QB Job This Preseason

Browning beat out veteran QB Trevor Siemian this preseason for the right to be Burrow’s backup.

“Yeah, I thought Jake did a good job,” Taylor said of Browning at the end of the preseason. “I thought both those guys really gave us what we wanted there those last two weeks. Jake was deserving of that opportunity so he is the No. 2 quarterback and I feel confident with where he ended training camp.”

This is the first regular season Browning has spent on an active roster. Browning played the first regular-season snaps of his NFL career in Week 1.

The signal-caller played four snaps late against the Cleveland Browns and did not complete his only pass attempt. Should Browning have to make his first career start if Burrow is out of the lineup, Bengals fans may have some reason to remain optimistic.

“This is one of the better QB2s in the league, especially a guy with no starts,” former Bengals backup quarterback and current QB guru Jordan Palmer said of Browning on the team website. “He’s played a lot of ball at a high level. I like his game.”

What is Browning’s Contract?

The contracts in Cincinnati’s quarterback’s room are about as far apart as can be.

Browning is on a one-year, $750,000 contract with the Bengals. That figure reflects the NFL’s minimum salary for 2023. For comparison, Burrow signed a five-year, $275 million contract extension before the season that made him the highest-paid player—in terms of annual average value—in NFL history.