OAKLAND, CA – NOVEMBER 17: Quarterback Andy Dalton #14 of the Cincinnati Bengals warms up before the game against the Oakland Raiders at RingCentral Coliseum on November 17, 2019 in Oakland, California. The Oakland Raiders defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 17-10. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images)
With apparently nothing more they need to see from Ryan Finley, the Cincinnati Bengals are going back to Andy Dalton.
After Sunday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Cincinnati Bengals are 0-11 and two games clear of everyone else in the lead for the No. 1 pick in the 2020 draft. Rookie Ryan Finley made his third straight start against Pittsburgh, but on Monday head coach Zac Taylor announced Andy Dalton will start in Week 13 against the New York Jets.
In his three starts, Finley completed 47.4 percent of his passes for 474 yards with two touchdowns, two interceptions, 11 sacks taken, three lost fumbles and a 62.1 passer rating. The Bengals averaged 11 points per game with Finley under center.
The Bengals were right to try to see what they had in Finley, a fourth-round pick last April out of North Carolina State. But one of the flaws seen in him in college, a lack of ideal arm strength, has been naturally exposed in the NFL.
Dalton was benched in favor of Finley during Cincinnati’s Week 9 bye. He played reasonably well during his eight previous starts though, completing over 60 percent of his passes and averaging 281.5 passing yards per game. But it was time to look toward the future in Cincinnati, or try to out tank the Miami Dolphins from a certain perspective. Re-installing Dalton does not change anything looking to 2020.
Dalton is making $16 million in base salary this year, and he’s slated to make $17.5 million next year in the final year of his contract. But the Bengals can cut him, clear a total of $17.7 million in cap space (as a pre-June 1 cut) and leave behind no dead money.
Dalton gives the Bengals a better chance to win games than Finley did or does, as much as they actually will or really want to at this point. This really amounts to a five-game audition for the red-headed signal caller, with the idea he’ll be able to sign somewhere else and perhaps compete for a starting job next year.