Bengals QB Room Now Features 2 Former Vikings
Joe Burrow is out, and a former Minnesota Vikings quarterback is in.
In addition to Jake Browning, the Cincinnati Bengals promoted another ex-Vikings quarterback this week, with Week 3 around the bend.
Burrow will miss at least three months with a bad toe, paving the way for Jake Browning to start against Minnesota this Sunday.
And in addition to Browning, Cincinnati also promoted ex-Vikings passer Brett Rypien from its practice squad to the active roster this week.
A Double Dose of Ex-Vikings QBs in Cincinnati
Cincinnati’s fate is now in Browning’s and Rypien’s hands.
Bengals Promote Brett Rypien to Active Roster
Cincinnati signed Rypien in August after Minnesota kicked him out in favor of Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer. Originally, it was a practice squad arrangement for the veteran passer.
Now, with Burrow out indefinitely, Rypien will sniff the bright lights of the 53-man roster. NFL Network‘s Ian Rappoport tweeted, “Brett Rypien, who had been on the Bengals practice squad, is being signed to the 53-man roster, source says. That puts him in line to be the backup to Jake Browning.”
Remaining on the practice squad are quarterbacks Mike White and Sean Clifford.
Rypien has started four NFL games in his career, diming 4 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. His teams are 2-2 in those matchups.
Jake Browning as the QB1
No matter what, Browning will lead the Bengals this weekend at U.S. Bank Stadium.
A similar situation arose in 2023 when Burrow was — you guessed it — injured, and Browning lifted Cincinnati to a comeback win over the Nick Mullens-led Vikings at Paycor Stadium.
Browning even managed to find a camera on the sidelines, where he violently screamed at Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer for cutting him, which was strange because Spielman and Zimmer had been detached from Minnesota’s leadership for two years.
The Browning magic wore off after beating Minnesota that December day, his performance turned pedestrian, and Cincinnati failed to qualify for the postseason.
Not the QB Matchup Anyone Expected
When NFL schedule makers announced all 2025 games in May, fans circled the upcoming contest as J.J. McCarthy versus Joe Burrow. Why wouldn’t they?
A mere two weeks into the regular season, and the showdown has devolved into Carson Wentz versus Jake Browning — a wild downgrade for viewership pizzazz.
Vikings Favored Nevertheless
Still, with Minnesota trotting out Wentz to face Browning (Rypien if another injury knocks out a Bengals passer), the Vikings are favored to win by 2.5 points.
Oddsmakers apparently perceive the game as an even showdown, with the purple team getting the nod due to homefield advantage. It’s also worth noting that Cincinnati has a 2-0 record, impressive for a club that typically plays terribly in the month of September.
More on Browning
SI.com‘s Landon Belote opined on Browning this week: ‘It is a somber time in the Queen City that is Cincinnati, Ohio. During Sunday afternoon’s win against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Bengals star quarterback Joe Burrow left with a left toe injury that will sideline him for a minimum of three months.”
“Bengals backup quarterback Jake Browning stepped up and led the Bengals to a 31-27 victory over the Jaguars and gave the team their first 2-0 start since 2018. The praise for Browning from Eisen is admirable and warranted. When Browning took over the Bengals offense following Burrow’s wrist injury in 2023, he led the Bengals to a 4-3 record and kept them in playoff contention for the remainder of the season.”
Browning has 14 career touchdown passes and 10 interceptions.
Belote continued, “Browning finished that season with a 70.4 completion percentage, 12 touchdowns, 7 interceptions, and a rating of 98.4. It would be purely ignorant to say that the Bengals offense can reach the same heights it normally could with Burrow, but this team showed incredible resilience after Burrow went down on Sunday.”
“They rallied behind Browning. He can give this team a chance, especially with Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Trey Hendrickson still on the team. I expect this team to move forward this season with Browning at quarterback, but they will likely trade for or sign another signal-caller this week.”
The aforementioned Rypien was actually Minnesota’s QB2 during the offseason until general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah traded for Sam Howell, who now works for the Philadelphia Eagles.
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