“The only way you can get better at this game is by practicing it, repping it, and we haven’t had that all together for three, four years,” Burrow said after a preseason finale that saw the Bengals fall 14-41 to the Colts, the reality for those on the roster’s fringe came into focus. The evaluation period is over, and the front office is poised to make moves. For the QB room, this means three decisive actions that will send shockwaves through the unit.

 The quarterback room will be the priority for the team. It needs a major shake-up. It looks like, from backup QBs, Jake Browning will come out on top. The other 2 QBs stand a great chance of being cut. After the blowout, the Bengals will likely cut Desmond Ridder and Payton Thorne as their first and second roster moves. And launch a search for a new developmental arm on the practice squad as the third move. It’s a direct response to elevate the entire operation to the standard that Burrow is now setting. Bengals scored about 4 TDs on his 5 preseason drives.

The need for change was crystallized on Saturday. With the offense sputtering, Ridder, who was acquired with hopes of being a sturdy backup, started the game and went 8-of-20 for 75 yards and an interception. He has struggled really. The low point was a throw that seemed to encapsulate his preseason—a pick-six thrown directly to Indianapolis safety Daniel Scott in the first quarter.

On the other hand, Payton Thorne has also succumbed to the cut from the Queen’s City. Where he just managed to throw 41 passing yards with a completion rate of just 57.1% in the preseason, while Burrow completed 9 of 14 passes for 62 yards (against the Commanders), amounting to a completion rate of 64.3%.

The only thing left to do is to look for a waiver wire possibility: search for a practice squad addition.

Now Burrow isn’t just back; he’s operating on a different spectrum, earning every bit of his $275 million extension, a fact he stated with a quiet, matter-of-fact certainty that’s impossible to ignore. “I’m not sure I would say anyone is playing the position better than I am right now,” he declared.

Burrow’s revelation

Entering his sixth professional season, having earned two Pro Bowl selections and advanced to two AFC Championship games despite suffering injuries, he has experienced his first uninterrupted offseason since beginning his NFL career. This marks a significant departure from previous seasons that were predominantly consumed by rehabilitation protocols. The outcome has been an offensive unit demonstrating exceptional coordination and precision in its execution.

He illustrated this with a story from early camp, breaking the huddle with a run call only to see a linebacker walk down, disrupting the play. Without a pre-set ‘can’ or secondary call installed yet, Burrow and center Ted Karras communicated instantly. “Ted called out that it was a bad look to run the running play that we were running into. And so, that communication happened, and I just got to a base pass play that we always have in our offense that wasn’t in yet,” Burrow explained. He audibled on the fly, hit his third read, and picked up 12 yards. It was a gain that spoke volumes about his mastery.

“A lot has to go right for that to happen—we know having gone through the last two years, having what it takes on our side of the ball to make that happen, regardless. And I think that’s certainly feasible on our end. and I think it’s our job to play at as high a level as possible, and we have a lot of young guys on defense that we anticipate playing well and being good players. But trying to allow those guys to come along and find their groove, our job on offense is to allow them to be able to do that.” Failing to secure playoff berths in both 2023 and 2024 has provided him with valuable insight into the challenging nature of returning to championship contention.

A backup quarterback can’t just be a guy who can hand the ball off; he must be a steward of this complex ecosystem, a player who can replicate the process and command even if he can’t match the talent. Jake Browning has earned that trust with his best camp yet.

The others clearly have not. The message from the front office, triggered by Burrow’s own elevated play and proclamation, is clear: complacency has no place here. The shockwaves from these three moves will ensure the entire room is vibrating at the same championship frequency as its leader. As Coach Taylor added, “Tweaking things, adjusting things, continuing to get better at the things we thought we did well,”