Cincinnati Bengals
Getty
The Bengals could try and reunite with former quarterback Andy Dalton
The Cincinnati Bengals recently revealed that they are insearch of a backup quarterback to support franchise quarterback Joe Burrow. Although Burrow has been an elite NFL quarterback since he stepped into the league, he has missed six or more games in three of his six seasons. For that reason, getting a reliable backup quarterback is one of the most important choices the Bengals have to make this offseason.
Cincinnati could opt to try and acquire a familiar name as former Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton is said to be on the trade market.The Athletic’s Joseph Person reported that the Panthers gave Dalton permission to seek a trade.
Former Bengals Quarterback on the Trade Market
Dalton spent the first nine seasons of his career with the Bengals. He is second in Bengals’ career passing yards, and first in passing touchdowns. As the Bengals quarterback, Cincinnati went 70-61-2. With Dalton at the helm, they made the postseason in five consecutive seasons, but they went 0-5 in those games. He was unable to suit up in their 2015 playoff game as he suffered an injury prior to the game.
Following the 2015 season, the Bengals went 20-35-1 with Dalton as the team’s quarterback, failing to make the playoffs in four seasons. After the 2019 season, the Bengals selected quarterback Joe Burrow with the first overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, and Dalton was released by Cincinnati.
Since then, Dalton has spent time with the Cowboys, Bears, Saints and most recently the Panthers. He has started seven games for the Panthers over the past three seasons. Now, a reunion with the Bengals could be in store.
Bengals Search for a Backup Quarterback
Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher spoke about what the team was looking for in a backup quarterback. He said, “When you’re looking for a backup quarterback, which is what we’re looking for, you want a great player. The same traits that make a starting quarterback a good player are going to be the traits that make a backup quarterback a good player. But the backup quarterback is a unique job, and an understanding of what that is is important.”
He added, “Because you have to have a guy that’s very intrinsically motivated, somebody that can just go to work and do the work day in and day out because they know it’s the right thing to do, and because they can get themselves to a place mentally where ‘I might have to play at any given moment, but I also may not play all year.’ And that’s different than any other position in the building.”
Regarding a possible Dalton reunion with the Bengals,Sports Illustrated’s Russell Heltman wrote, “Dalton is currently playing on the final year of his two-year, $8 million deal with Carolina. Although he would come in around double the salary cap hit Flacco was last season after posting a putrid 13.1 ESPN QBR in three outings. He posted 52 and 49.2 QBRs in 2024 and 2023. He threw for 293 yards on 67.6% completion last season with one touchdown and one interception.
Add in needing to give up an asset for the veteran, and it may not make sense to pursue the 38-year-old via trade. Dalton was solid for Cincinnati last decade, but those days could be behind him.”