Jake Browning

QB·

Los Angeles Chargers·#6·6'2"·209 lb·7th year·Washington

Tier 1Undrafted in 2022

Updated November 5, 2026

83.5

Model Score

Down from 86.7 last year

Trade value ·a 7th

Player comps Be the Chargers GM →

Jake Browning is a QB for the Los Angeles Chargers (updated November 5, 2026).

Model Score by season

Down 3.2 from last season.

Resting on limited playing time

How good he is at what he is supposed to be doing, out of 100. Not a projection of what he will do next, and not a read on his contract. Median is about 70, and a 95 is rare. How it is built →

STM Take

A backup quarterback defenses have figured out.

The case for

Has shown he can run Cincinnati's offense at a starter-grade level (#12 ranking in 2023 with a 70.4% completion rate over 7 starts is a real sample). System familiarity with Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and the Burrow scheme is the calling card.
Two 2025 games at 17+ PPR (17.74, 19.14) prove the spike potential remains in the right matchups. Above-average pre-snap recognition for an undrafted backup.

The worry

The two-year arc from #12 to #37 confirms what scouts saw in 2019: defenses adjust to his arm limitations once they see live tape across a multi-week sample.
Three 2025 games under 6 PPR (5.4, 5.9, 0.56) show what regression looks like. Career yards per attempt under 7.0 is the structural ceiling.

What to watch: Whether his 2026 role behind Burrow stays intact or Cincinnati upgrades the backup spot for a cheaper, more mobile veteran.

Full take and bio

The drop from #12 in 2023 to #37 in 2025 captures the entire arc. Browning was an excellent injury fill-in during Burrow's 2023 absence, but defenses had real tape on him by 2025 and the production regressed sharply. His 2026 ceiling is bounded by what he showed once defensive coordinators could prepare for him as a multi-week starter, which is below replacement-level efficiency.

Browning came out of Washington as the Pac-12 career leader in passing touchdowns when he graduated, but went undrafted in 2019 after a forgettable senior season. He spent three years on Minnesota's practice squad before Cincinnati signed him in 2022 as Joe Burrow's backup. When Burrow tore his wrist in November 2023, Browning started seven games, went 4-3, posted a 70.4% completion rate and 7.7 yards per attempt, and earned the #12 tier-3 STTM finish that still anchors his profile.