The Cincinnati Bengals (2-3 straight up, 1-4 against the spread) traded a fifth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft to the Cleveland Browns on Tuesday for veteran quarterback Joe Flacco and a sixth-round selection in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Cincinnati backup QB Jake Browning has struggled in his three starts since Joe Burrow went down with a toe injury in Week 2. The Bengals have lost 48-10 at Minnesota, 28-3 at Denver and 37-24 vs. Detroit in Browning’s three starts.
He has a 4/5 touchdown-to-interception ratio in those games. In addition, Browning was intercepted three times in the Bengals’ 31-27 comeback win over Jacksonville when Burrow was injured in the second quarter.
To his credit, though, Browning threw for 241 yards and two TDs and helped orchestrate the game-winning TD drive at crunch time vs. the Jags, who improved to 4-1 with last night’s home win over Kansas City.
In four appearances this year, the 29-year-old Browning has completed 64.5 percent of his passes for 757 yards with a 6/8 TD-INT ratio. He has one rushing TD as well.
The 40-year-old Flacco started Cleveland’s first four games. He was benched after the Brown posted a 1-3 record in those contests, with rookie Dillon Gabriel starting in this past Sunday’s 21-17 loss vs. Minnesota in London.
Flacco connected on 58.1 percent of his throws for 815 yards with an abysmal 2/6 TD-INT ratio. In Cleveland’s 17-16 season-opening home loss vs. the Bengals, Flacco hit on 31-of-45 passes for 290 yards and one TD with a pair of interceptions.
As of Tuesday afternoon, most books had Cincinnati installed as a 14 or 14.5-point road underdog for Sunday’s showdown at Green Bay. The Packers will have rest advantage coming out of their open date.
The total was 44.5 points, while the Bengals were +825 on the money line at Circa.
Cincinnati is 1.5 games back of the Steelers, who lead the AFC North with a 3-1 record. Baltimore and Cleveland are in the loop’s cellar together with 1-4 ledgers.
Nevertheless, FanDuel has the Ravens listed as +100 ‘chalk’ to win the division. The Steelers have+125 odds, followed by the Bengals (+1200 or 12/1) and Browns (17/1).
I’m not saying that Flacco is completely washed. He’s played well at times for the Colts last year and really well at times for the Browns in 2023.
And with the Bengals, Flacco will have talent galore around him. That obviously makes it a lot easier to perform.
With that said, I think the trade to make was for the New York Giants veteran QB Jameis Winston. Perhaps the G-Men were asking for a lot more than a fifth-round pick?
Whatever the case, there’s no doubt that WRs Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins would’ve been a lot more excited about Winston’s arrival compared to Flacco’s.