The Cincinnati Bengals shocked some by deciding to shift rookie Ryan Finely above longtime starter Andy Dalton on the depth chart.
But for those who have seen every snap of 0-8 Bengals football this year — and the preseason work for both passers — the decision makes sense.
Dalton simply couldn’t navigate pockets this year. Blame a regression, the line or something else. Either way, he routinely struggled even in clean pockets, sometimes even running right into blitzes.
Finely carved out a lot of hype for himself in the preseason amongst Bengals fans simply because he was notably better in this regard.
And after deciding to make the switch, Bengals coaches have made the point public, too.
“He moves well in the pocket. He moves well as a runner,” offensive coordinator Brian Callahan said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “He can run well. He can throw from different arm angles. He’s got a unique talent and his skill set is he’s accurate and throws the ball well. We’re hoping to find a way to score more points, at the end of the day. Whatever that means for us.”
This Bengals team is looking for any form of spark. It’s evaluation mode for the future, yes. But the team still needs to win a few games in order to keep believing in this coaching staff.
Finely does have some deserved strikes against him. His arm isn’t the strongest. He’s older for rookie, which puts a cap on his upside.
But if the rookie can better navigate pockets and help the team convert better on the current eight of 24 redzone tally, he’ll end up making the staff look great.
And if not, a top-five pick and potential rookie passer awaits. No matter the outcome, the new coaching staff had to take a shot on Finley’s strengths at some point.
