The Cincinnati Bengals’ first Super Bowl victory was sparked by Joe Burrow, who is also a player the team cannot afford to lose. The city of Cincinnati was in a holding pattern when its franchise quarterback got carted off from Bengals practice Thursday with a strained calf.

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor gave Bengals fans some relief on Friday when he revealed that quarterback Jake Browning and Trevor Siemian are the team’s two available healthy quarterbacks and that Burrow will miss several weeks.

Of course, Cincinnati needs Burrow to win a title. But if he suffers a setback in his recovery, there are still some options on the roster and in free agency where they can at least compete in the AFC this year.

Siemian was signed by Cincinnati, the backup quarterback for the Bengals, to a one-year contract this offseason. Siemian has started six games over the last four years and 30 in his eight-year career, not winning a game he’s started since 2017.

Siemian played two games last season, going 15 of 26 for 184 yards (57.7%) with a touchdown and an interception (76.4 rating). There may be better options in free agency if the Bengals don’t want to start Siemian.

If Wentz wants one last opportunity to start, he may have found it with the Bengals. Wentz completed 62.3% of his passes for 1,755 yards last year with 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions (80.2 rating), getting benched in favor of Taylor Heinicke and Sam Howell.

Wentz has started for three different teams in the last three seasons and still hasn’t found a job to this point (he’s 30 years old). Patience may have been a virtue for the veteran, who has started 92 of 93 games played in his seven-year career.

Bridgewater is a good backup quarterback who is capable of starting a few games, which may be a good insurance policy for the Bengals. He completed 62% of his passes for 683 yards with four touchdowns and four interceptions (85.6 rating) in five games played last year, starting two for the Miami Dolphins.

The 30-year-old Bridgewater did start 14 games for the Denver Broncos in 2021, completing 66.9% of his passes for 3,052 yards with 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions (94.9 rating). If the Bengals want a reliable option that will keep a talented team in games, Bridgewater is a very good player to have lead the offense.

Flacco is 38 and has been in the league for 15 seasons. Some teams still value having him around as a veteran backup, as he’s bounced around the league since his departure from the Baltimore Ravens.

During the previous season, Flacco did start four games for the New York Jets. In those five games, he completed 57.6% of his passes for 1,051 yards, three interceptions, and five touchdowns (76.2 rating). At the very worst, he’s a valuable backup.

The former Super Bowl MVP likely won’t be getting a call, as his days as a starting quarterback appear behind him. Foles started two games for the Indianapolis Colts in 2022, completing just 59.5% of his passes for 224 yards with no touchdowns and four interceptions (34.3 rating).

In the right system, Foles is a valuable insurance policy who can win a game or two for a contending team. The Bengals could do much worse if Burrow only has to miss a week or two.