Zac Taylor leaves door open for potential quarterback change in Cincinnati

After three dreadful interceptions in the Cincinnati Bengals’ Week 5 loss to the Detroit Lions, head coach Zac Taylor was asked if he still believes in Jake Browning as this team’s starting quarterback.

Taylor expressed confidence but left the door open for a potential change.“Of course, after a game like that we’re going to look at all personnel to make sure we are doing the right thing,” Taylor said on Oct. 5. "I won’t shy away from that because it’s a very fair question after the amount of turnovers we had. To say that I don’t think Jake can win games for us, I believe Jake can win games for us. I do. We’ll just continue to look at everything we can personnel wise.”

Bengals backup QB options

Here are Taylor’s internal options: Brett Rypien, Sean Clifford and Mike White.

Rypien currently serves as Browning’s backup. Clifford and White are on Cincinnati’s practice squad.

And for those asking about a possible trade for a backup quarterback on another team, it seems far-fetched because it would likely require the Bengals to give up a draft pick. Nothing should be ruled out at this point, though.

Browning has now thrown eight interceptions in three games. He ranks second in the NFL in interceptions, trailing Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith with nine. He’s thrown more interceptions than touchdowns so far.

Bengals offense with Jake Browning

In addition to his turnovers, Browning hasn’t been able to orchestrate an offense that’s productive. The Bengals rank 29th in passing offense (171.6 yards per game) and points per game (17.0) and have been outscored 69-9 in the first half of all three games Browning has started.

The Bengals’ inability to score points early and often on offense severely hinders the defense. Cincinnati’s defense, which also hasn’t been good enough, is on the field way too much.

Taylor was quick to put blame on himself for the offensive performance over the last three weeks. He shoulders a lot of the blame as he is not only Cincinnati’s head coach, but he’s also the offensive play-caller and architect of the offense.

It’s his responsibility to create a game plan each week that puts Browning and Co. in the best position to win. Nothing about the Bengals’ offensive game plans has stressed their opponents enough. They haven’t even been competitive on offense in the last three games.

Ja'Marr Chase on Bengals offense

Pro Bowl wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase is tired of talking about what the Bengals’ offense is capable of accomplishing. They are underachieving, and he believes the fix on offense is starting faster.“We’ve got to take advantage of every drive, even the first couple of drives,” Chase said following the game. “We made a late run at the end (and it was) too late. We’ve just got to get there; it’s all about getting there.”

But can Browning get them where they need to be? That’s the question Taylor and his staff will spend the next 24 hours evaluating.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Zac Taylor on possible Cincinnati Bengals QB change