The Bengals’ worst nightmare has come true with Joe Burrow going down with a turf toe injury. The devastating update from head coach Zac Taylor is that the QB will require surgery, sidelining him for at least three months. Even worse, there’s a possibility his season could already be over. Amid this crisis, the Bengals are being called out for one glaring mistake by Dan Orlovsky.

The analyst urged that the team must reorganise its philosophy and strategy around the QB and focus on how to protect him. Along with the advice, he also had a warning that if the Bengals didn’t act soon enough, they might see Burrow end up the same as Andrew Luck. “The conversation around Andrew was all the hits. And through those first five or six seasons, look at that. The times the quarterback gets hit, look how much they’re getting hit in relation to how often they’re dropping back, how many sacks they’re taking, and then the percent of pressure that they’re dealing under,” he declared.

This is because both QBs took the most sacks and hits as their teams couldn’t protect them. Back in 2014, Jon Gruden expressed concern about how the former Colts QB Luck took several hits. “If you take those kinds of hits, it is inevitable that you will get sidelined with an injury someday. I worry about that with Luck,” he wrote. It’s almost painful how the former QB almost lost love for the game when he retired.

Orlovsky has the same unease about Burrow. He even went on to compare the situation with the Los Angeles Chargers and how Jim Harbaugh’s top priority was protecting his quarterback because that’s the key to winning a Super Bowl. Dan argued that Cincinnati hasn’t made that same commitment “organizationally” to protecting Burrow, and that not only the Bengals but the entire league should learn from this.

As per USA Today, the Bengals have the worst pass-blocking units in the league since Burrow joined the team in 2020. And it often led to the QB getting pressured. He often gets sacked the most in the league with 51 sacks in 2021, 19 sacks in the postseason, which is the highest for a QB in a single playoff run, and 7 sacks in Super Bowl 56. His rookie year was cut short due to ACL and MCL injuries. Following this, he sustained a finger injury (2021), a knee injury (2022), and a torn ligament in his wrist in 2023 that sidelined him for the rest of the season. And now, he has yet another injury.

So, Orlovsky’s words were more of a warning that the front office must put in important pieces around the QB to protect him or risk injuries that could pose more trouble. While the team has Jake Browning, it could be looking for a new QB.

“There’s not a lot we can do right now for Joe other than I feel terrible for him because put in all the work. For him to have to go through this is the worst part of it. But as a football team, we just have to continue to move forward,” coach Taylor said as per Schefter.

Are the Bengals looking for a new QB?

The coach has faith in Browning, who led the Bengals to a win against the Jaguars with 241 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions. However, with Burrow sidelined, the Bengals might need to look for backup quarterback options. As per Schefter, Cincinnati is expected to make calls around the league to find someone who could step in if Browning struggles or gets injured.

And the first name in question is Malik Willis. As per Packer Report’s Easton Butler, the team made a call to the Green Bay Packers to ask about the QB. Drafted by the Tennessee Titans in 2022, he went to Green Bay last offseason. He impressed in limited action last year, throwing for 550 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. He is a good choice for the team.

However, it seems unlikely for the Packers to trade away such a good option. Moreover, the Packers have no other quarterbacks on their active roster behind Jordan Love. Well, nothing is confirmed until there’s an official update. Apart from the Packers, the Bengals are also reportedly eyeing other players. Former Browns quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson is one of those. He was recently cut by the Eagles in August.

As for now, the Bengals will have to rely on Browning, but their search for a backup is in all probability already underway.