<
        >

          Bengals backup QB Brandon Allen leaves game with concussion

          • Ben Baby, ESPN Staff WriterAug 12, 2022, 09:50 PM ET
            Close
              Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN's NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor's degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).
            Follow on X

          CINCINNATI -- The Cincinnati Bengals are temporarily without their top two quarterbacks.

          Brandon Allen left Friday's preseason opener against the Arizona Cardinals because of a concussion, the team announced.

          Allen, the team's top backup, has taken all the first-team reps throughout training camp with starter Joe Burrow recovering from an appendectomy. Allen played Cincinnati's opening offensive drive before he went to the locker room to be evaluated for a concussion.

          Reserve quarterback Jake Browning took over in his place.

          Allen has been the team's top backup quarterback since 2020. Browning and rookie Drew Plitt are the only healthy quarterbacks on Cincinnati's roster.

          Plitt, a Ball State product, was added after Burrow had his appendectomy on July 26. On Friday, Bengals coach Zac Taylor did not have a timetable on Burrow's return.