Joe Burrow’s season-ending wrist injury is brutal news for the Bengals, who now likely have to rely on backup quarterback Jake Browning to save their season. Browning, who played four years of college football at Washington, is in his fifth NFL season but had not played in a game until this year.
Cincinnati is the latest team to have to regroup at quarterback, as there are now six teams who likely lost their starter to injury for the season. It also led to former longtime backup QB Chase Daniel to chime in about the state of the position in the NFL.
“What a wasted season for The Bengals…with that roster,” Daniel said on social media. “The BACK-UP QB is so damn important. Maybe this will be a sign for teams to SPEND on great backups!”
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Daniel made his entire career out of being a backup, playing for six different teams over 13 years but only starting five total games in that span.
Backup quarterbacks are one of the most intriguing positions in the league, as they don’t matter until they matter a whole lot. The Jets have been at the forefront of that idea, as they opted to go with Zach Wilson as Aaron Rodgers’s backup instead of a more experienced option.
While the Eagles won a Super Bowl after Nick Foles took over for Carson Wentz midseason in 2017, that seemed to be an anomaly in the league. Most teams can’t survive losing their starting quarterback to injury, but Daniel believes teams need to take that position more seriously to avoid the dilemma.
