Bengals: Zac Taylor focused on one thing with backup QB Trevor Siemian
No one cares about the backup quarterback until they have to. But for the Cincinnati Bengals, finding a more competent arm behind Joe Burrow was a goal for the 2023 offseason. NFL veteran Trevor Siemian became its fulfillment. In comparison to the QB he replaced, Brandon Allen, Siemian is more experienced, productive, and athletic. Career passer […]
No one cares about the backup quarterback until they have to. But for the Cincinnati Bengals, finding a more competent arm behind Joe Burrow was a goal for the 2023 offseason.
NFL veteran Trevor Siemian became its fulfillment.
In comparison to the QB he replaced, Brandon Allen, Siemian is more experienced, productive, and athletic. Career passer rating, yards per attempt, and yards per rush all favor the Bengals' newest second-stringer behind the face of the franchise.
What the Bengals lost in the transition from one backup to another was the continuity factor. Getting the former starter up to speed on the team's nomenclature and playbook is what head coach Zac Taylor is most focused on right now during OTAs.
"It's good for him," Taylor said of his new backup quarterback getting reps. "He's heard these types of play calls, he's run these routes before. You know, it's just putting it all together with how we say it and with the personnel that we have, I think is really the adjustment that I think he's fit in really well and doing a good job, getting in there and getting reps. It comes to him very quickly. Again, it's just more of a terminology aspect and just getting used to the personnel that we have."
A starter for two years in the NFL, Simeian has become accustomed to learning new things on a yearly basis. Since being traded to the Minnesota Vikings in 2018 from the Denver Broncos, the former Northwestern passer has played on a new team almost every new year since. The lone exception came in 2020 when he joined the New Orleans Saints late in the season and re-signed with the team the following year.
Siemian most recent stint came with the Chicago Bears, where he backed up Justin Fields. Burrow is a big step above Fields and other quarterbacks Siemian has watched from the sidelines. In the event he has to play emergency snaps, replicating that level of performance will be a taller task than he's experienced.
While he may be new to Taylor's coaching, Siemian at least has been under offensive coordinator Brian Callahan before. Back in 2015, Callahan was the Broncos' QB coach when Siemian started his career with the team as an undrafted rookie. Callahan would go on to take the same gig with the Detroit Lions a year later while Siemian emerged as the Broncos' first starter after Peyton Manning retired.
This is not entirely Callahan's offense, but he damn well has influence in the terminology. That may end up making the transition period for the 31-year old a little easier.
Siemian is the favorite to win the backup job for the season, but he'll still have to beat out Jake Browning when August rolls around. The more he can catch up to Browning, who's been in the system since 2021, the better he'll perform in three very important preseason games.
Featured image via Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports
