Andy Dalton deserves more credit for his time with Bengals
It’s official. The Andy Dalton era in Cincinnati is over. The 32-year-old quarterback reportedly was granted his release Thursday from the Bengals. He’ll become a free agent.
Joe Burrow is the man in the Queen City now. No surprise there. When the Bengals used their No. 1 overall selection in last week’s NFL Draft to tab the LSU quarterback, the expected writing was on the wall. The Bengals are Burrow’s team now.
But what to make of Dalton’s time in Cincinnati? Much maligned for not getting the Bengals over the playoff hump, his place in franchise history is undervalued, stepping in for Carson Palmer when his predecessor decided he had all the Mike Brown he could take. Dalton was a pro’s pro. And he won a lot of football games.
A second-round pick, 35th overall, in 2011 out of TCU, Dalton stepped in immediately as Cincinnati’s starting quarterback. He threw for 20 touchdowns with 13 interceptions his rookie season as the Bengals went 9-7 and reached the playoffs. His passer rating improved from 80.4 to 87.4 to 88.8 the next two seasons as the Bengals went 10-6 and 11-5, making the playoffs both years.
That rating dipped to 83.5 in 2014 as the Bengals went 10-5-1, but 2015 was the seminal season of Dalton’s Cincinnati stay. The Bengals began the year 8-0. They were 10-2 when Pittsburgh came to Paul Brown Stadium. Dalton owned a 106.2 passer rating, second best in the NFL, but broke his thumb when he tried to make a tackle after throwing an interception. His season was done. With A.J. McCarron as the starting quarterback, the Bengals lost to the visiting Steelers 18-16 in a wild AFC Wild Card game, second only to the 1989 Super Bowl as the second-most heartbreaking loss in franchise history.
The Bengals fell to 6-9-1 in 2016 and 7-9 in 2017. Dalton was injured again in 2018 after a 5-6 start and missed the rest of the season. His passer rating was 91.8 in 2016, 86.6 in 2017, 89.6 in 2018. Last season, under new coach Zac Taylor, Dalton was benched for a three-game stretch when rookie Ryan Finley was given the wheel of what was a winless team. After getting his job back, he ended up starting 13 games, throwing for 16 touchdowns with 14 interceptions and a 78.3 passer rating.
He finishes his Bengals career as the franchise’s all-time leader in passing touchdowns with 204. He’s second in passing yards with 31,594.
He went to three Pro Bowls and took the Bengals to five straight postseason appearances. Problem was, they won not one playoff game. His reputation was that of a solid quarterback, nothing spectacular, a good soldier good enough to get Cincinnati to the postseason, but not advance in that postseason.
Dalton was 0-4. His playoff stats:
- 2011: At Houston, 27-42-257-0-3 lost 31-10.
- 2012: At Houston, 14-30-127-0-1 lost 19-10.
- 2013: San Diego, 29-51-334-1-2 lost 27-10
- 2014: At Indianapolis, 18-35-155-0-0 lost 26-10.
Totals: 88-158-1-6
You wonder what might have happened had Dalton not broken his thumb in 2015. The Bengals were clearly one of the best teams in the NFL. Dalton was having by far his best season. He ended up with 25 touchdowns compared to just seven interceptions. With a healthy Dalton, who knows?
Who knows is also the answer to the question of where Dalton ends up now. Maybe New England, which is in the market for a quarterback after Tom Brady’s departure. Maybe Jacksonville, where ex-Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden will run the Jags’ offense in 2020.
Wherever Dalton might end up, Bengals fans should wish him the best.
This story was originally published April 30, 2020 at 10:35 AM.
