JORDON PALMER LOOKS TO MAKE HISTORY WITH THE BENGALS

Jordan Palmer and his older brother, Carson never went to high school together and they didn’t play ball in college together either, let alone in the same state. Even as children they never played the game they love together. Yet, now Jordan is getting the chance to play on the same team as his brother, the Bengals.


Jordan, 23, was a sixth-round draft pick (205th overall) of the Redskins in ’07. He didn’t attend one of the big college programs like his brother did, attending UTEP. He also didn’t make it past training camp with Washington, and he failed to catch on with another NFL club over the course of the season. He signed with the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League in November of 2007, but never suited up for them, because the Bengals came calling in January.

"It’s a team I know a lot about. I know the coaching staff, I know the system and I feel that I’ll be a great fit. And, obviously, it’ll be pretty cool to play with my brother,”say's Jordon Palmer.

The Bengals already have two quarterbacks ahead of Jordan — Ryan Fitzpatrick, who just signed a restricted free-agent tender with the club, and Jeff Rowe, their fifth-round pick in ’07. With Jordan’s spot on the team far from being guaranteed, it’s not hard to deduce the signing might be intended to keep Carson happy. But Bengals QB coach Ken Zampese dismissed the notion that Jordan was signed to appease his big brother.

“Jordan was a sixth-round draft pick,” Zampese said. “So there’s enough people in the league circles that felt very good about him, so I don’t think this is a stretch to appease anybody as much as it is for us to get a sixth-round draft pick from a year ago who already has a year under his belt.”

Jordan Palmer couldn’t agree more.


Fourth-string quarterbacks often get cut or placed on the practice squad, so what makes this situation any different?

In the long and storied history of the NFL, two brothers have never accomplished what the Palmers hope to achieve in ’08. There has never been a shortage of brother tandems in the league, but quarterback is different. The position is far too complex to allow a gimmick to last for an entire season, which means both brothers must be capable of helping the team. With quarterbacks being among the most scrutinized athletes in all of sports, teams usually don’t have the leeway to take a flier on a family member to produce a feel-good story.

In 1997, Ty Detmer was a quarterback for the Eagles while brother Koy was on injured reserve, meaning they weren’t on the 53-man roster at the same time.

That leaves the Palmer brothers on the brink of history, something that Zampese thinks they can easily accomplish.