The Cincinnati Bengals are looking for young quarterbacks to develop under Joe Burrow and seem to have targeted an intriguing prospect for a possibility. Multiple reports have the team set to conduct a top-30 visit with Rutgers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis.
The former Scarlet Knights signal-caller had 20 touchdowns against just seven interceptions last season, while completing 62.2% of his passes for 3,1224 yards as a senior. Kaliakmanis spent his first two collegiate seasons with Minnesota before transferring to Rutgers. He has a collegiate career passer rating of 129.1.
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After a solid 2025 campaign, Kaliakmanis has drawn interest from other teams in the pre-draft process, including Washington and the Raiders. The Eagles, Bears, and Giants have also been linked to him in pre-draft chatter as well. Projections have him being either a Day 3 pick or a priority undrafted free agent.
Kaliakmanis had an outstanding first three games of the 2025 season, throwing seven touchdowns and zero interceptions. He was also a threat with his legs, posting four rushing touchdowns last season.
Cincinnati has been attempting to identify a long-term backup solution behind Burrow for some time. They have preferred veteran options under Zac Taylor, including Brandon Allen, Jake Browning, and Joe Flacco.
While Browning signed with Tampa Bay during free agency, the Bengals remain hopeful they can bring back Flacco this offseason. However, the 41-year-old is testing the waters for a potential starting gig before recommitting to Cincinnati.
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As they wait for the Flacco decision, the team went and signed veteran Josh Johnson over the weekend. Johnson was with the Bengals back in 2013 as the reserve to Andy Dalton, while also being a part of the 2015 preseason squad.
It’s possible the Bengals retain Johnson or Flacco (should he end up re-signing with the team) during the summer and into the regular season with a developmental guy like Kaliakmanis waiting in the wings.
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