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The Cincinnati Bengals appear to have found their veteran quarterback.
According to NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero, Cincinnati is expected to sign free agent quarterback Brandon Allen.
Veteran QB Brandon Allen is in Cincinnati for a physical and COVID-19 testing and expected to sign with the #Bengals this weekend, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 29, 2020
Allen knows Zac Taylor’s offense from #Rams days and started 3 games for #Broncos in 2019. Some experience behind No. 1 pick Joe Burrow.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor hinted at the team looking at veteran signal-callers, as they currently do not have a quarterback with more than one season of experience in the NFL.
Allen doesn’t have much playing experience, but the former sixth-round pick out of Arkansas in the 2016 NFL Draft has been in the league long enough that he’ll be the old man of Cincinnati’s quarterback room.
Originally drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars, Allen spent his rookie season as the team’s third-string quarterback, then was waived in 2017 during final roster cuts. He was then claimed by the Los Angeles Rams, where he would be the third-stringer for the entire 2017 season.
In 2018, Allen was waived early in the regular season before being signed to the Rams’ practice squad, where he spent the rest of the season before signing a futures contract the following offseason.
During his two years with the Rams, Allen got to work with Zac Taylor, who was the team’s quarterbacks coach before becoming Cincinnati’s head coach in the 2019 offseason.
In 2019, the Rams waived Allen during final roster cuts, and he was claimed by the Denver Broncos, where he backed up Joe Flacco. After an injury to Flacco in Week 8, Allen became the starting quarterback. He made his first start in Week 9 against the Cleveland Browns, where he threw for 193 yards and two touchdowns in a 24–19 victory.
Allen would lose his next two starts before second-round rookie Drew Lock came off injured reserve and started the rest of the season. Allen then hit free agency this offseason and has been waiting to sign with a team.
It looks like the Bengals will be his next home.
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