Jake Browning came in against the Ravens in Week 11 when star quarterback Joe Burrow went down with an injury. A day later, the Bengals learned Browning would be the team’s starter at quarterback for the rest of the season.
And in just three games as the starter, Browning is giving a Bengals team that appeared to be out of the playoff race a chance. He has led them to back-to-back wins, during which time, he ranks first in expected points added plus completion percentage above expectation (EPA+CPOE) and third in EPA per play.
Browning will be tested down the stretch. His two wins came against the Jaguars and Colts, both of whom rank in the bottom half of the league in passing yards allowed this season. He’ll end the season facing several top-tier defenses in the Vikings, Steelers, Chiefs and Browns, three of which rank in the top half.
The pressure will be on Browning over the final stretch to beat those teams and keep the Bengals in the playoff chase. But while Browning hasn’t had much NFL experience, he had a prolific collegiate 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 at Washington.
Jake Browning college stats
Browning arrived at Washington in 2015 with plenty of acclaim. He was the fifth-best pro-style quarterback in the 2015 class, according to 247Sports Composite Rankings, coming in as a four-star prospect and the No. 73 overall talent. The Folsom (Calif.) High product picked Washington over other top programs like Alabama, Oklahoma State and Utah, among others.
In high school, Browning set a national record with 91 touchdowns passes in 2014 and tallied the record for the most in a career with 229 in three seasons. He also held California records with 16,775 passing yards and 1,191 completions in 1,708 attempts.
And it didn’t take long for Browning to impress with the Huskies. He enrolled in January 2015 and by Game 1 of the season, Browning was named the Huskies’ starter, thrusting him into action right away. In 12 games, he completed 63.1 percent of his passes for 2,955 passing yards with 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, while the Huskies went 7-6, including a Heart of Dallas Bowl win over Southern Mississippi. At the time, his passing yards ranked fifth in a 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 off hot right away, as did Browning. In Washington’s three non-conference games to open the season, Browning threw for 12 touchdowns with only one interception, including a match against Idaho in which he tied the Washington single-game record with five passing touchdowns. In Week 5 against No. 7 Stanford, Browning led a blowout of the Cardinal, 44-6, completing 71.4 percent of his passes for 210 yards and three touchdowns. The next 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 for six touchdowns (along with 378 passing yards) in a 66-27 win over California.
Washington stumbled against USC the next week, losing 26-13, but won out, beating Colorado in the Pac-12 championship, 41-10, and punching its ticket to the College Football Playoff. Ranked No. 4, Washington fell to No. 1 Alabama, 24-7, in a game that Browning threw for only 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 passing touchdowns set the Washington single-season record (which still stands) and his passing yards ranked second behind only Cody Pickett’s 4,458 in 2002. He earned Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year honors.
Neither Washington nor Browning reached that height again during his collegiate career. The next season, Washington entered as the No. 8 team in the country but took losses to Arizona State and Stanford during the regular season and wound 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 dipped to only 19 passing touchdowns and 2,719 passing yards, though he completed passes at a much higher clip (68.5 percent) and rushed for seven touchdowns during the year.
The next year, Washington lost its opener to Auburn and dropped a pair of Pac-12 games against Oregon and California, though it still managed to reach the Pac-12 championship, 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 passing yards in the Rose Bowl, tied for his most from the 2018 season, though he did not throw a touchdown pass in the Apple Cup, Pac-12 championship or Rose Bowl, his final three college games. He finished the year with 16 passing touchdowns to 10 interceptions with 3,192 passing yards.
By the time Browning ended his collegiate career, he owned a litany 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 | Comp | Att | Pct | Pass Yds | Pass TDs | INT | Rush Yds | 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 |
| Career | 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 class, the Bengals wound up drafting NC State quarterback Ryan Finley in the fourth round, 104th overall.
NFL draft expert Lance Zierlein wrote the following about Browning:
Accomplished four-year starter who is the school’s all-time leading passer and winner of two conference championships. Even with those accolades, Browning is a college game-manager whose success is tied to his talent at receiver. Browning has moments where he can rise to the occasion, but he’s failed to sustain it over the last two seasons and he doesn’t have the size, arm strength or intangibles to fall back on. He is a late-round to undrafted prospect with an uphill battle to earn a roster spot.
Following the end of the draft, Browning wound 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 the NFL until 2021, when he was waived after training camp and ultimately wound up being signed to the Bengals’ practice squad.
In 2023, he competed with Trevor Siemian for the Cincinnati backup QB position, and he wound up winning the job and got his first snap in the NFL against the Browns on Sept. 10 late in a blowout defeat.
When Burrow injured his wrist against the Ravens, Browning was thrust into action, and went 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 passing yards.
| Year | G | Comp | Att | Pct | Pass Yds | Pass TDs | INT | Rush Yds | Rush TDs |
| 2023 | 5 | 77 | 102 | 75.5 | 924 | 5 | 2 | 77 | 2 |
