Stephanie Niles Leaves It All On The Field For What Could Be Her Final Bengals Fit Check Ever
An uncertain future didn’t stop Stephanie Niles from showing up.
Stephanie Niles is feeling emotional heading into Week 18 of the NFL season. The Cincinnati Bengals are not going to be playing any playoff football this season. They're going to finish the season, no matter what, in third place in the AFC North.
Her fiancé, Jake Browning, is going to be a restricted free agent this offseason. He's listed as the team's emergency quarterback on Sunday after losing his backup job when he filled in for an injured Joe Burrow earlier this season and struggled.
Jake Browning of the Cincinnati Bengals and his fiancée Stephanie Niles after defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
His future with the team is uncertain. Niles didn’t let the benching keep her from showing up each and every week with QB1-level fit checks. She shows up prepared for every game. It's a crazy league, and you never know when you could get another shot.
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It was an elite fit that helped Niles steal the show during a season finale a couple of seasons ago as Browning was earning a contract to be the Bengals backup. Here preparation hasn’t wavered.
On Sunday, Stephanie Niles left it all out on the field in all orange for what could, sadly, be her final "Who Dey." She admitted that it wasn’t easy showing up, but that she wanted to go big if it was her last Bengals game.
Stephanie Niles Brought Her Best for What Could be Her Final Bengals Game
"I'm kind of emo today, because it's potentially the last fit ever," she said. "So I had to wear all orange… And I guess this might be the last Who Dey ever. So I'm kind of emo and I feel like I'm going to cry, so I need to go to the tailgate. Bye guys."
I wasn’t overexaggerating when I said that Niles left it all on the field. She couldn’t have done anything more for what has a decent chance of being her final Bengals game.
Who knows if Browning gets another shot elsewhere?
There are those who would have taken their fits and gone home when benched. There are those who would have taken an uncertain future, on a team with no playoff hopes, as a reason not to show up in Week 18.
Not Stephanie Niles. She prepared as a starter and gave it her all even if the results on the field weren’t what she had hoped. What a run.