Bengals lose Burrow: Quarterbacks Cincinnati could look to amid star’s three-month absence

The Cincinnati Bengals are 2-0, but they would be forgiven for feeling as if their season is already over after receiving devastating news about an injury to starting quarterback Joe Burrow.

Burrow left the Bengals’ Week 2 matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars with a toe injury that was confirmed on Monday to be a severe form of turf toe.

It was reported on Monday that the injury will require surgery and keep Burrow out for three months, marking a continuation on a theme for Burrow, who last season won Comeback Player of the Year for the second time in a career that has seen him deal with several injuries.

The loss of a quarterback who led the NFL in passing yards and passing touchdowns is a crushing one for the Bengals, who managed to beat the Jaguars without Burrow after backup Jake Browning snuck in on a one-yard touchdown run with 18 seconds remaining.

Browning won four games as a starter in 2023 with Burrow on the sidelines. However, with the Bengals facing eight games with 2024 playoff teams in the 11 that their starter is set to miss, Browning is unlikely to be viewed as a quarterback who can keep Cincinnati at the sharp end of the AFC playoff hunt.

There are some alternatives available to the Bengals as they judge how to best handle their latest Burrow injury nightmare. Here we look at three.

Unsurprisingly, there aren’t a lot of inspiring names on the list of free agent quarterbacks at this point in the year.