“I’m told that none of the Giants’ veterans, Russell Wilson or Jameis Winston, were ever real possibilities, nor was Atlanta’s Kirk Cousins. There was some talk about Drew Lock in Seattle, Sam Howell in Philadelphia, guys like that. But teams aren’t eager to trade from their QB depth.”
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Most of this was probably due to the Bengals’ due diligence. Kirk Cousins ​​was probably too expensive and Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, while entertaining on the field, might not have clicked in the locker room.
Lock and Howell are younger guys with upside, making them more valuable and less likely to transfer. Think of them the same way Browning did before he imploded in the final three games.
As such, the Bengals selected Flacco, who has some built-in advantages: He’s a veteran with AFC North experience, plenty of experience learning new systems quickly, and he’s already set to play against the Green Bay Packers once this season, meaning he could start in a few days.
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