The Cincinnati Bengals cruise toward a quarterback change alongside Year 2 of Zac Taylor.
It’s clear now the relationship between the Bengals and Dalton has run its course, with Joe Burrow seeming like the first pick in the draft.
Looking back at that 2019 campaign, it turns out Dalton’s efforts ranked 30th among all quarterbacks, per the composite rankings via NFL.com‘s Ali Bhanpuri, Tom Blair, Gennaro Filice and Dan Parr:
Bhanpuri: If Dalton is indeed out after nine seasons as the Bengals’ QB1, I think he showed enough in spurts to generate some low-level trade interest in the coming weeks. That said, the franchise could do right by its all-time passing touchdown leader and cut him loose to let him decide his own future.
That’s tied for 30th out of 57 passers to start a game in 2019.
And Dalton’s season was indeed a mess. The brutal surroundings and change along the coaching staff didn’t help. Dalton wound up getting benched so Taylor could see what the franchise has in Ryan Finley before going right back to him.
That’s not the storybook ending either side of the relationship wanted, but it’s the one they’re getting — barring something unexpected. To their credit, the Bengals intend to do right by Dalton on his way out the door, which could involve some noteworthy trade candidates.
