Bengals to start Flacco at QB against Packers

CINCINNATI -- Zac Taylor's archetypal condemnation to caller backmost Joe Flacco was a invited to the Cincinnati Bengals. The 2nd condemnation from the team's caput coach? Get acceptable to commencement Sunday.

Flacco was cemented arsenic the team's caller starting backmost 1 time aft the Bengals successfully completed a uncommon intradivision commercialized Tuesday. Cincinnati sent a 2026 fifth-round draught prime to the Cleveland Browns successful speech for Flacco and 2026 sixth-round draught selection.

When the squad walked retired for signifier connected Wednesday, Flacco wore his caller No. 16 jersey and started the process of getting acclimated for the upcoming crippled against the Green Bay Packers.

"He's gonna instrumentality each the reps and get acceptable to go," Taylor said during his quality league Wednesday.

This volition beryllium the 2nd clip successful 4 weeks that Flacco starts a crippled against the Packers. He started against Green Bay successful Week 3 arsenic the Browns' quarterback, and Cleveland won 13-10.

Flacco besides played against his existent nine this play arsenic well. He was 31-of-45 passing for 290 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions successful a 17-16 nonaccomplishment against the Bengals successful Week 1.

Cincinnati (2-3) opted to marque the alteration astatine backmost aft Jake Browning struggled successful Joe Burrow's absence. With Burrow connected injured reserve portion recovering from country to repair a turf toed wounded connected his near foot, Cincinnati has mislaid 3 consecutive games, with Browning starting each of them. Taylor confirmed that Browning volition instrumentality to his presumption arsenic the backup, with erstwhile Packer Sean Clifford holding the relation arsenic the reserve backmost connected the signifier squad.

Bengals de facto wide manager Duke Tobin informed Taylor connected Tuesday that the squad was going to beryllium capable to onshore Flacco. Taylor said Tobin sought his sentiment connected the anticipation of adding the 40-year-old veteran. Taylor gave Tobin his afloat approval, helium said, earlier Tobin finalized the process of executing the trade.

After the determination was completed, the Bengals sent a car to Cleveland to thrust Flacco down Interstate 71 to Cincinnati. The Bengals besides transferred implicit documents for Flacco to survey arsenic Taylor called him connected the telephone to spell implicit basal tenets of Cincinnati's offense.

The added payment of Flacco's caller acquisition of playing the Packers this play should beryllium beneficial arsenic the Bengals question to Lambeau Field this weekend.

"At slightest the 1 vantage we bash person with bringing Joe Flacco successful present specifically is he's watched portion for a week," Taylor said. "He's played this game. He'll inactive request to bash the aforesaid thing, due to the fact that they played 2 games since then, but astatine the aforesaid time, it's astatine slightest there's successful the backmost of his mind."

Flacco is not scheduled to talk to reporters until Friday, arsenic helium takes each disposable infinitesimal to get acceptable for his pending Bengals debut. Taylor did not person a timetable for Burrow's instrumentality arsenic helium continues his betterment process. But successful the meantime, Cincinnati is hopeful Flacco tin beryllium the assistance needed to extremity a three-game skid and support the Bengals successful playoff contention for arsenic agelong arsenic imaginable this season.

"Our fig 1 absorption is winning each crippled we tin perchance triumph and spell to the playoffs and spell heavy successful the playoffs," Taylor said. "That is 100% our focus, careless of who our backmost is. That's what we're ...