Cincinnati Bengals Sign New Quarterback to Backup Joe Burrow

Cincinnati added a new passer to the fold.

Jan 4, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Josh Johnson (14) runs off the field after a victory against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

CINCINNATI — The Bengals added to the quarterback room on Saturday by inking a one-year deal for this coming season.

He's appeared in 50 career regular-season NFL games with 11 starts for the Buccaneers, Cleveland, Cincinnati,Washington, the N.Y. Jets, Baltimore, and San Francisco. The wily vet's thrown for 2,669 yards and 14 TDs with 18 INTs. He also has 94 rushing attempts for 481 yards and two TDs. 

He suited up for the Bengals in 2013 for two games and spent time with them again in 2015 but did not appear in any games. Jake Browning signed with Tampa bay earlier this week, so Cincinnati was down two quarterbacks before adding Johnson.

New Backup Option

Aug 24, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Josh Johnson (8) warms up on the field before the start of a preseason NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

Johnson should be a nice option to back up Joe Burrow for the time being during their offseason program while they await the status of Joe Flacco in free agency.

Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher went in-depth on what he's looking for behind Joe Burrow.

"When you're looking for a backup quarterback, which is what we're looking for, you want a great player. The same traits that make a starting quarterback a good player are going to be the traits that make a backup quarterback a good player. But the backup quarterback is a unique job, and an understanding of what that is is important," Pitcher said at the 2026 NFL Combine. "Because you have to have a guy that's very intrinsically motivated, somebody that can just go to work and do the work day in and day out because they know it's the right thing to do, and because they can get themselves to a place mentally where 'I might have to play at any given moment, but I also may not play all year.' And that's different than any other position in the building. 

"Because everybody else usually has some way, shape, or form to affect the game. Obviously, a backup quarterback is going to play in practice, so they're going to affect the team that way. So there's a mentality that goes with that. There's a maturity that goes with that. And then you balance that against a guy who might have traits that you see being able to develop and grow, and maybe at some point become a starting quarterback in this league. Do you go in free agency to try to achieve that goal? Do you go in the draft? Well, you look at all of it. You just decide what's going to be best for the team based on what type of resources you want to allocate, and you just try to find somebody who fits."

Cincinnati has now signed four exterior free agents this week.

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