Joe Flacco is returning to the Cincinnati Bengals in 2026, in what will be his 19th NFL season. With the veteran quarterback back in town, Cincinnati has now secured a key backup for Joe Burrow, whose injury concerns continue to be a thorn in his side.
There’s a reason the Bengals signed Burrow to a five-year, $275 million extension back in 2023. Still, that record-breaking contract did little to protect Burrow from injuries. Burrow has missed 22 games due to injury in his NFL career, and 16 since he put pen to paper on the extension in Cincinnati.
If the Bengals want to have success—which they haven’t had in the past two seasons—they must keep Burrow away from the blue tent and the medical room. Yet if they can’t, and Burrow’s injury-proneness outweighs their efforts, they must have a solid backup quarterback ready to take over.
With Flacco, Cincinnati has just that: a timeless student of the game who already knows the organization and his teammates, and definitely knows his way around the league to come away with wins. However, having Flacco ready to take over doesn’t take anything away from the other obvious issue. There is an elephant in the room that the Bengals must address.
Protecting Burrow is a must for Bengals
There is no other way around it: Cincinnati must invest in its offensive line. The five players in the trenches may not be household names around the league, but it ultimately comes down to them to keep the star quarterback safe.
So far, Burrow has never enjoyed the perks of a top offensive line in Cincinnati. As a result, not only has he struggled to put together winning seasons consistently, but he has also paid the ultimate price with his health.
Burrow’s injury history
According to Draft Sharks, Burrow has been injured seven times in his NFL career, including season-ending injuries in 2020 (knee) and 2023 (wrist), as well as a long absence in 2025 (turf toe). At this pace, Burrow’s career may be cut short, and the Bengals could watch their Super Bowl window close because they couldn’t keep their quarterback healthy.
That’d be the worst-case scenario for the Bengals. Sure, having Flacco serve as a backup is encouraging, but if Flacco sees the field regularly in 2026, then it means the Bengals or Burrow have done something wrong.
SURVEY Which team has the better QB room?
Which team has the better QB room?
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