CINCINNATI (AP) 鈥 Cincinnati coach Zac Taylor said that since quarterback Jake Browning has shown what he can do in the Bengals鈥 offense and has been a part of the organization for five years, he won鈥檛 have to change up the scheme much as Browning takes over under center for the injured Joe Burrow.
鈥淧reparation equals confidence,鈥 Taylor said Wednesday as the Bengals (2-0) get ready to face the Minnesota Vikings (1-1) on Sunday. 鈥淲hen you鈥檝e prepared for your opportunity, then there鈥檚 a true confidence that comes with that.
“There鈥檚 nothing they鈥檙e going to show me that I haven鈥檛 watched and seen and prepared for and thought through in my head and walked through in my own. Jake is an example of someone who鈥檚 truly prepared for a moment. And so that鈥檚 where his confidence stems from. And now you just go play football.鈥
Browning started his NFL career as an undrafted free agent with the Minnesota Vikings in 2019, and he joined the Bengals鈥 practice squad in 2021. In 2023, when Burrow missed the second half of the season with a wrist injury, Browning had a winning record (4-3) in seven starts.
Now with Burrow on injured reserve because of a turf toe injury, Browning gets his next opportunity to show what he can do.
鈥淓xecution breeds a lot of confidence,鈥 Browning said. 鈥淢y main goal is just to execute well, play fast, make fast decisions, be decisive and try to help us win and whatever comes as a result of that, or however everybody feels now, I鈥檓 pretty focused on doing my job.鈥
While the Bengals added two potential backups to their practice squad on Tuesday in Mike White and Sean Clifford, the Bengals are moving forward with Browning as their starter.
鈥淚 love the guy,鈥 Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said. 鈥(Browning) and I have a really good relationship. It鈥檚 just awesome when you see him get an opportunity and he does what we all believe that he鈥檚 going to do and this team believes in him, his coaches believe in him, and man, that goes a long way. That鈥檚 why I sit here 2-0, excited, energized, because everything we want to do this year is right in front of us.鈥
Brett Rypien, who signed onto the Bengals practice squad in August and joined the active roster on Tuesday, is set up to back up Browning in the short term.
Rypien, an undrafted free agent out of Boise State, has played in 10 NFL games between 2020 and 2023.
Since he didn鈥檛 participate in training camp with the Bengals, he has had to learn the offense on the fly.
鈥淗ere, you go through the game plan and make sure you know what the protection rules are,鈥 Rypien said. 鈥淚f I was going from a jet protection system to a 鈥楳ike鈥 protection system, it鈥檇 probably be a lot harder. The calls are similar up front for Minnesota as they are here. It鈥檚 really just learning what the pass concepts are and being able to know where everyone is going to be at.鈥
White has played in 15 NFL games over the past four years and completed 61.4% of his passes in the regular season. He鈥檚 friends with former Bengals Eli Apple, CJ Uzomah and Mitchell Wilcox, who all provided good reviews of Taylor and the Bengals.
Similar to Rypien and Clifford, White is learning a Bengals system that鈥檚 new to him.
鈥淵our prep time is critical,鈥 White said. 鈥淵our process in the week. Getting reps after practice. You鈥檙e not going to get reps in the week because the starter needs it. You commit to a process.鈥
Clifford was selected by the Packers in the fifth round of the 2023 draft. He hasn鈥檛 thrown a pass yet in the NFL.
Clifford is a Cincinnati native and went to St. Xavier High School.
鈥淚鈥檓 back on the field in my hometown,鈥 Clifford said. 鈥淚 had over 300 messages yesterday. If I didn鈥檛 get back to you, I apologize 鈥 It鈥檚 a lot of love. I can feel it. I鈥檓 excited to be a part of a great team.鈥
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