Cincinnati Bengals Sign 2 QBs To New Deal Before 2024 Season; Screw Over Backup

Backup quarterback Jake Browning appeared in nine games for the Bengals last season and started in seven games due to Joe Burrow’s wrist injury. He finished the season 171/243 passing for 1,936 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He played exceptionally well behind a bad offensive line that couldn’t keep Burrow upright for most of the season.

The Cincinnati Bengals signed Browning to a two-year deal

According to a statement by the Bengals, the team re-signed Browning, an exclusive rights free agent, to a two-year deal to keep in Cincinnati through the 2025 season:

Browning, a second-year player out of the University of Washington, was signed to the Bengals’ practice squad ahead of the 2021 season. He spent the 2021 and ’22 seasons on Cincinnati’s practice squad, then played in nine games with seven starts in ’23. He led the team to a 4-3 record as a starter,

The Bengals didn’t disclose the nature of the deal, but he’s due the league minimum because of the ERFA tag. It’s an unfair and clumsy deal for a player who showed he can be a valuable backup in the league. Per Spotrac, Browning was set to earn $915,000 for the 2024 season before signing the two-year deal. So he’s looking at making $1.8 million for two seasons in Cincinnati.

The Bengals signed Logan Woodside

In addition to keeping Browning, the Bengals added a familiar face to the roster. They signed their former 2018 draft pick, Logan Woodside, to a one-year deal:

Woodside (6-1, 213), a fifth-year player out of the University of Toledo, originally was a seventh-round pick of the Bengals in 2018. He has played in 13 career games for the Tennessee Titans (2020-21) and Atlanta Falcons (’22-23), and completed four of seven passes for 34 yards.

The Bengals have three quarterbacks on their roster for their offseason workout program.