The Cincinnati Bengals have spent much of the 2019 offseason after the draft being linked to starting quarterbacks in the 2020 draft a year later.
Experts took the opportunity to give Zac Taylor a new quarterback in a handful of 2020 NFL mock drafts already.
That trend has continued with a new mock from Draft Wire’s Luke Easterling, who has the Bengals selecting third (determined by Super Bowl odds) and drafting Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa.
Tagovailoa is a Heisman Trophy contender next year a season removed from completing 69.0 percent of his passes with 3,966 yards and 43 touchdowns against six interceptions. He’s considered raw from a pro standpoint but should end up in the conversation for first overall.
As for the Bengals, it all comes down to Andy Dalton. He’s not in a contract year but it sure feels like it, with even Mike Brown confirming they won’t give him an extension this offseason.
In other words, the mocks have some traction to them. New head coaches typically like to get their own rookies and groom them. If Dalton struggles in Taylor’s system, the coach and front office might balk at the idea of giving him massive money to match the current market.
This is all a long ways away still. But playing connect the dots, especially if the Bengals land in the top five, leads naturally to the idea of the Bengals taking a quarterback.
