With Bengals Expected to Start Joe Flacco vs. Packers, a Look at All QB Benchings in Franchise History

CINCINNATI – The Cincinnati Bengals are expected to bench a starting quarterback for non-injury reasons for just the third time in the last 23 seasons when they insert the newly acquired Joe Flacco for the struggling Jake Browning for Sunday's game at Green Bay.

The Bengals sent a 2026 fifth-round pick to the Cleveland Browns for Flacco and a 2026 sixth-rounder today after watching Browning struggle after replacing the injured Joe Burrow.

Flacco started the first four games this season for the Cleveland Browns -- including one just 16 days ago against the same Packers team he will face Sunday -- before getting benched for rookie Dillon Gabriel last week.

The 40-year-old Flacco completed just 58 percent of his passes (93 of 160) for 815 yards with two touchdowns and six interceptions as the Browns went 1-3.

Flacco has 12 interceptions and 19 sacks in his previous eight starts dating back to last season.

But Browning has thrown eight interceptions in 14+ plus quarters this season, and the Bengals didn’t see a path forward with him after Sunday’s 37-24 loss to the Detroit Lions.

The expectation is that Flacco, a veteran of 200 games and 195 starts, will arrive in Cincinnati in time to take first team reps at Wednesday’s practice and pick up enough of the offense to make the start Sunday at Green Bay.

If that happens, it will be the Bengals’ first quarterback benching since they had two in a four-week span in 2019.

That’s when first-year head coach Zac Taylor benched Andy Dalton on his birthday after a loss to the Rams in London dropped the team to 0-8.

Rookie Ryan Finley replaced Dalton and was awful in going 0-3 before Taylor sent him back to the bench.

The Bengals probably would have won two of the three games with Dalton, but with Joe Burrow emerging as a superstar at LSU, they weren’t too upset about positioning themselves for the top pick in the draft.

Dalton led the Bengals to their first win in his return to the job in Week 13, and he finished the season in that role with the team going 2-14 and landing the No. 1 pick in the draft to usher in the Burrow era.

Prior to 2019, the most recent benching was before Marvin Lewis arrived in 2003.

2002

The Bengals signed Gus Frerotte as a free agent that spring after watching Akili Smith struggle in his first three seasons.

But head coach Dick LeBeau pulled the plug on Frerotte after a 0-for-7 start in Week 3 that included his fifth interception of the season.

Smith couldn’t take advantage of yet another chance, going 12 of 33 for 117 yards with an interception and three sacks in his Week 4 start – a 35-7 loss to the Buccaneers – and the Bengals moved back to Jon Kitna, who had started 15 games in 2021, for the rest of the season.

The No. 3 pick in 1999, Smith would never play another game in the league.

1999

Smith was benched four games into his rookie season in favor of Jeff Blake.

1997

Blake was benched for Boomer Esiason, who was in his second stint with the team in 1997, and the former NFL MVP rejuvenated the team with a 4-1 finish to the season.

1994

David Klingler struggled through the first eight games and head coach Dave Shula turned to Blake.

1992

In 1992, Shula benched Esiason for the Klingler, the rookie No. 6 pick in the draft.

1985

Ken Anderson was benched by Sam Wyche for Esiason after three games.

1984

Anderson was benched for Esiason after five games.

1970

Paul Brown benched Wyche for Virgil Carter after three games.

1968

Dewey Warren started Weeks 1, 8, 12 and 14.

John Stofa started Weeks 2-7 and 13

Sam Wyche started Weeks 9-11.

It’s unclear which decisions were benchings and which were injury related.