Jake Browning is in a unique position as he wraps up a great training camp

In 2023, Jake Browning got to be a hero on Monday Night Football, went head-to-head with Patrick Mahomes in a must-win game for the Cincinnati Bengals, posted a winning record in his starts and nearly led the team into the playoffs. It was all a thrill for the former undrafted free agent who had waited for a chance for years.

Then in 2024, he had to pick the clipboard back up and watch the entire season from the sideline again. Browning knew what he could do as a starter, but he obviously wasn’t going to get that chance in Cincinnati as Joe Burrow stayed healthy all year. His only meaningful reps were in practice.

“You feel like you had a good season last year, but you didn’t play at all,” Browning said. “I felt like I had really good practices. Nobody really cares. You want to play. It stinks. But I know my role on the team. You want to play, and everyone wants players who want to play. It’s a weird situation.”

He had this life changing year in 2023, and then he went back to essentially being anonymous.

“You take your practice reps seriously so you don’t just coast through the whole year,” Browning said. “You have to prepare like you’re going to start, and then you have to be ok with the fact that you don’t play. That comes with the position.”

The Bengals know what they have in Browning, who just turned in the best training camp of his five-year professional career. Charlie Jones, Mitchell Tinsley and Tanner Hudson have all received a ton of praise this summer. Browning has been the one throwing them the ball and setting up those big opportunities. There also hasn’t been much talk about the second-team defensive backs because Browning is taking care of the football.

Browning posted a subpar line in the preseason opener against the Eagles, but the tape showed that his performance was a product of poor offensive line play. Against the Commanders, Browning was terrific.

“He has a full grasp of the offense,” Dan Pitcher said. “He knows what we’re asking out of him. He’s one of the best teammates I’ve ever been around. He’ll be a phenomenal coach if he ever decides he wants to do it. He’s an important part of what we do here.”

Because of how well Browning played during the regular season in 2023, it gets overlooked that he wasn’t a good practice player early in his career. Even in 2023, following an up-and-down training camp from Browning, the Bengals added Will Grier to the practice squad at the end of training camp. Grier might have challenged Browning during the season for the official backup spot, but Grier was only around for a few weeks and left for a spot on the Patriots’ 53-man roster.

Browning put a lot of pressure on himself in camp in 2021, 2022 and 2023 as he tried to shed the reputation he had as an unheralded undrafted free agent. Now that everyone has seen what he can do under the regular season spotlight, he doesn’t feel that same pressure.

In 2024, Browning missed most of camp with an injury. This year was his first normal training camp as an established backup quarterback.

“I felt good about how it went,” Browning said. “When you’re established in a roster spot, you play the play without feeling like you have something to prove. You find completions. I don’t have to play with this chip on my shoulder like I have to make this throw or do that. I’m going through reads and trying to keep the completion percentage high.”

Always looking for an opportunity to take the next step, Browning added weight and bulked up his upper body during the offseason. He has also continued to show that he’s an impactful scrambler who can make plays on the move.

Browning’s touchdown throws to Tinsley against the Commanders were reminders of the moxie that Browning brings to the table.

“He has proven what he can do in the league,” Drew Sample said. “He fully understands this offense. He’s very much in control. It gives him the freedom to make plays however he can. He’s sneaky athletic. He has had a great camp.”

Browning is quietly entering a contract year, and the 2026 offseason will be his first chance to test the free agent market. Earlier this week, Bears backup quarterback Tyson Bagent signed a two-year extension for $10 million, which sets the market for a standout backup quarterback. Browning is more established than Bagent.

Browning should have options in 2026. He could return to the Bengals on a new deal and continue to back up Burrow. He could also bet on himself and sign with a team where he would compete for a starting job (he’d have a real chance this year, for example, in battles like the ones going on with the Browns, Jets, Colts and Saints).

He tries to not think about the future, but he’s human.

“Everyone does a little bit,” Browning said. “I literally have no idea what’s going to happen, just like most people in NFL locker rooms.”

Most players entering contract years, though, get a chance to use that as fuel and try to make a statement before they hit free agency. Because Browning is a backup quarterback, there’s a good chance that he doesn’t see the field in the regular season this year. The hay could be in the barn for what he shows the rest of the league before reaching free agency, especially if Browning doesn’t play in the preseason finale on Saturday.

When his thoughts turn to his future, Browning remembers something that Ja’Marr Chase said in 2024.

“I remember when Ja’Marr was going through his contract stuff,” Browning said.

“He said, ‘I don’t know how people play while thinking about money.’”

“I’ve always remembered him saying that,” Browning said. “I’m not thinking about seven months from now. There’s a long season ahead. I’ll prepare each week like I have to play. I hope I don’t. It’s kind of weird. And I’ll try to be helpful and provide some type of value even though Joe is taking the reps. It’s a fast rise, fast demise for quarterbacks. I’ve got to stay ready.”