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The Cincinnati Bengals are re-signing backup quarterback Brandon Allen to a one-year deal, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
The #Bengals are re-signing QB Brandon Allen to a one-year deal, per source. Allen made five starts last season, knows Zac Taylor’s offense well and now returns to back up and help mentor Joe Burrow.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 10, 2021
Allen a fifth-year player in 2021, was originally signed by the Bengals on August 1st of last year. He had been bouncing around different teams since 2016 when he was a sixth-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars, but it looks like he’s finally found an NFL home for at least one more year.
It was believed that Allen would simply be an emergency quarterback in case of a COVID-19 outbreak impacting the quarterback room. But after Joe Burrow suffered his season-ending injury in Week 11, it was Allen, not Ryan Finley, who got the call to start.
Allen went on to start five games in relief for Burrow, completing 90/142 passes for 952 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions.
In Week 16, Allen really shined for the first time in Cincinnati. The 28-year old completed 29 of 37 passes for 371 yards and two touchdowns in a 37-34 road victory over the Houston Texans. It was this performance that seemed to solidify his spot as the backup for Burrow going forward, and this contract seems to confirm that.
Allen is now the third player the Bengals have re-signed leading up to free agency, with cornerback Jalen Davis and long snapper Clark Harris preceding him. Do you think the Bengals made the right move in bringing Allen back? Let us know in the comments below!
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