Jake Browning came on against the Ravens in Week 11 when star quarterback Joe Burrow went down with an injury. A day later, the Bengals learned that Browning would be the team’s starting quarterback for the rest of the season.
In just three starts, Browning gave a Bengals team that looked like they were out of the playoff race. He led them to back-to-back wins, and during that span, he ranked first in expected points added as well as completion percentage above expected (EPA + CPOE) and third in EPA per game.
Browning will be tested along the stretch. His wins came over the Jaguars and Colts, both of whom rank in the bottom half of the league in passing yards allowed this season. He will finish the season facing several top-tier defenses in the Vikings, Steelers, Chiefs and Browns, three of whom are in the top half.
The pressure will be on Browning during the final stretch to beat those teams and keep the Bengals in the playoff hunt. But even though Browning didn’t have much NFL experience, he had a prolific college career at Washington with experience leading the Huskies to two conference titles and a College Football Playoff berth, while setting multiple program and Pac-12 passing records Along the way.
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Here’s what you need to know about Browning’s career in Washington.
Jake Browning College Statistics
Browning arrived in Washington in 2015 to much praise. He was the fifth-best pro-style quarterback in the 2015 class, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, coming in as a four-star prospect and the No. 73 talent overall. High-caliber program Folsom (Calif.) chose Washington over other top programs like Alabama, Oklahoma State and Utah, among others.
In high school, Browning set a national record with 91 touchdown passes in 2014 and set the record for the most touchdown passes in a career with 229 in three seasons. He also held California records with 16,775 yards and 1,191 completions on 1,708 attempts.
It didn’t take long for Browning to impress the Huskies. He signed up in January 2015 and by the first game of the season, Browning was named the Huskies’ starter, prompting him to play immediately. In 12 games, he completed 63.1 percent of his passes for 2,955 yards with 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, while the Huskies went 7-6, including an upset of the Dallas Bowl over Southern Mississippi. At the time, his passing yards ranked fifth in a single season for a Huskies quarterback.
Browning put together his best season as a college quarterback as a true sophomore. The Huskies entered the year ranked No. 14 and started right away, as did Browning. In Washington’s three non-conference games to open the season, Browning threw for 12 touchdowns with just one interception, including a game against Idaho in which he tied Washington’s single-game record with five passes. In Week 5 against No. 7 Stanford, Browning led the Cardinals’ blowout, 44-6, completing 71.4 percent of his passes for 210 yards and three touchdowns. The following week, he set a Washington single-game record with six touchdown passes against Oregon in a 70-21 blowout. Three games later, he did it again, throwing six touchdowns (along with 378 receiving yards) in a 66-27 win over California.
Washington stumbled against USC the next week, losing 26-13, but beat Colorado in the Pac-12 Championship, 41-10, and punched its ticket to the College Football Playoff. No. 4 Washington fell to No. 1 Alabama by a score of 24-7 in a game in which Browning threw for just 150 yards with two interceptions. Washington finished the season 12-2.
For the season, Browning finished sixth in Heisman Trophy voting. On the year, he completed 62.1 percent of his passes for 3,430 yards and 43 touchdowns with nine interceptions. His 43 passes set Washington’s single-season record (which still stands) and his passing yards ranked second behind Cody Pickett’s 4,458 in 2002. He was named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year.
Neither Washington nor Browning reached that height again during his college career. The following season, Washington entered as the No. 8 team in the country but lost to Arizona State and Stanford during the regular season and ended up missing the Pac-12 Championship. The Huskies earned an appearance in the Fiesta Bowl, but fell to Penn State, 35-28.
Browning’s passing dropped to just 19 touchdowns and 2,719 yards, though he completed passes at a much higher rate (68.5 percent) and rushed for seven touchdowns on the year.
The following year, Washington lost its opener to Auburn and dropped two Pac-12 games against Oregon and California, although it still managed to reach the Pac-12 Tournament, where it narrowly beat Utah, 10-3. The Huskies went to the Rose Bowl to face No. 5 Ohio State but fell 28-23.
Browning capped the season with 313 yards in the Rose Bowl, his most since the 2018 season, though he did not throw a touchdown pass in the Apple Cup, Pac-12 Championship or Rose Bowl, his last three college games. He finished the year with 16 passing touchdowns to 10 interceptions with 3,192 passing yards.
By the time Browning finished his college career, he had a string of Washington and Pac-12 records. Among Pac-12 quarterbacks, he ranks first in wins (39), fourth in career passing yards (12,296), sixth in completions (958), eighth in attempts (1,484) and 16th in passing yards per attempt (8.3). He ranks first among Washington quarterbacks in passing yards and passing touchdowns.
| year | g | Companies | to | percent | Passing yards | Passing TDs | You | Rush eds | Rush TDs |
| 2015 | 12 | 233 | 369 | 63.1 | 2,955 | 16 | 10 | 35 | 1 |
| 2016 | 14 | 243 | 391 | 62.1 | 3,430 | 43 | 9 | 45 | 4 |
| 2017 | 13 | 230 | 336 | 68.5 | 2,719 | 19 | 5 | 25 | 7 |
| 2018 | 14 | 252 | 388 | 64.9 | 3,192 | 16 | 10 | 139 | 4 |
| Professional life | 53 | 958 | 1,484 | 64.6 | 12,296 | 94 | 34 | 244 | 16 |
Jake Browning NFL Draft
There were 11 quarterbacks selected in the 2019 NFL Draft. Browning was not among them. In that category, the Bengals wound up drafting NC State quarterback Ryan Finley in the fourth round, No. 104 overall.
NFL draft expert Lance Zuerlein wrote the following about Browning:
A successful four-year starter, he is the school’s all-time leading passer and winner of two conference championships. Even with these accolades, Browning remains a college athletics manager whose success is tied to his talent as a player. Browning has moments where he can rise to the occasion, but he has failed to sustain them over the past two seasons and doesn’t have the size, arm strength or intangibles to rely on. He is a late-round to undrafted prospect who is in an uphill battle to earn a roster spot.
After the end of the draft, Browning ended up signing with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent. He was waived by the Vikings, but signed to the practice squad for the 2020 season.
Jake Browning NFL stats
Browning bounced around in the NFL until 2021, when he was waived after training camp and eventually ended up signing with the Bengals’ practice squad.
In 2023, he competed with Trevor Siemian for the backup QB position in Cincinnati, ended up winning the job and got his first NFL snap against the Browns on September 10 late in the upset loss.
When Burrow injured his wrist against the Ravens, Browning was thrust into the play, going 8 of 14 in the game for 68 yards with a touchdown. He made his first NFL start the following week, completing 19 of 26 passes for 227 yards, a touchdown and a pick.
Browning shined in his second start, completing 32 of 37 passes for 354 yards with a touchdown in a thrilling overtime win over the Jaguars. He led Cincinnati to its second straight win against the Colts, going 18-for-24 with a career-best two touchdown passes to one interception and 275 receiving yards.
| year | g | Companies | to | percent | Passing yards | Passing TDs | You | Rush eds | Rush TDs |
| 2023 | 5 | 77 | 102 | 75.5 | 924 | 5 | 2 | 77 | 2 |
Jake Browning’s college football career was nothing short of impressive. As the starting quarterback for the University of Washington Huskies, Browning racked up some remarkable statistics. From leading the team to a playoff appearance to breaking school records for passing yards and touchdowns, he quickly became a standout player in the college football scene. However, despite his success at Washington, he faced challenges in transitioning to the professional level. Now, as a backup quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals, Browning has continued to make a name for himself and show great potential in the NFL.