Bengals may turn to third-choice QB after latest injury blow

Just three weeks on from his arrival, new Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco is now a doubt to play this weekend.

Flacco suffered a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder, an injury that kept him out of team practice on Wednesday. The Bengals are now evaluating their options to take on the Chicago Bears this weekend but head coach Zac Taylor admitted that Flacco may not be fit to play.

“We’ll see what we can potentially get out of him tomorrow,” Taylor said. “We’ll just work through the week. I think right now it’s probably at 50-50 on what will end up [happening] on Sunday.”

Flacco joined the team in a shock trade earlier this month, stepping in to replace the injured Joe Burrow. The regular QB suffered a toe injury in Week 2 and his replacement Jake Browning had struggled in three outings. If Flacco is not cleared to play, Browning may be back in the team for the Bengals this weekend.

Now 40 years old, Flacco was brought in as an experienced head to guide the team through a tough spell. On that front he has delivered, completing 64.7% of his passes for 7 touchdowns and zero interceptions across three games.

Flacco is still new to the team and coaches would usually want a recent arrival to be taking as many practice snaps as possible to build familiarity with his teammates. However a player of Flacco’s experience is unlikely to be fazed by the situation and he has already proven that he can perform with minimal preparation.

“If anybody in this league can get by with minimal reps right now, it’s him,” Taylor told reporters.

The Bengals currently sit second in the AFC North with a 3-5 record through their first eight games. Last weekend Cincinnati suffered a dramatic 39-38 loss to the New York Jets, giving Jets quarterback Justin Fields his first win of a difficult season.

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