oldschooler Posted February 23, 2018 Report Share Posted February 23, 2018 Katherine Terrell ESPN Staff Writer The Bengals were fairly set at quarterback just two seasons ago. Andy Dalton was coming off one of the best seasons of his career, and A.J. McCarron had shown promise filling in for Dalton when the starter was hurt in 2015. They also made the rare move of claiming Jeff Driskel off waivers and keeping him on the active roster as insurance in case they fielded a trade for McCarron. Now things seem a bit more uncertain. McCarron recently won a grievance against the Bengals that will allow him to become a free agent when the new league year opens in March, while Driskel's 2017 season was lost to injury. Driskel broke his thumb in the preseason and never had a chance to come back after breaking his arm in the final week of practice. A source said Driskel will be 100 percent for OTAs. However, he still has yet to complete a pass in a regular-season game. The Bengals could be in the market for a quarterback sooner rather than later if they decide to move on from Andy Dalton. Brad Rempel/USA TODAY Sports The Bengals were bracing for the McCarron ruling and weren't surprised to hear it didn't go their way, but now they have some decisions to make. They could look for a veteran to replace McCarron, or they could go the other direction and take a quarterback in the first round of the draft. It would be a definite departure from how the Bengals usually operate, and it would be surprising after standing behind Dalton. Unless he gets hurt, it doesn't seem any change will be happening this year. The Bengals stood behind Dalton despite struggles for the past two seasons, but if they did want to look to the future, his contract gives them an opening as early as next year. Dalton has three years remaining on the extension he signed in 2014, and starting in 2019, the prorated portion of the $12 million signing bonus he received will be off the books. That means they'll have no dead money or financial implications should they choose to part ways next season. This particular draft is loaded with quarterbacks who could go early, including UCLA's Josh Rosen, Southern California's Sam Darnold, Wyoming's Josh Allen, Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield and Louisville's Lamar Jackson. The Bengals don't make many in-draft trades, but they would probably be able to move up to snag a quarterback if they had one they loved. It would be a good situation for a young quarterback. The Bengals tend to take their time with their first-round picks as a general rule, and since 2011, only A.J. Green and Tyler Eifert had significant rookie seasons. There would be no pressure to take over right away with Dalton still there. Still, the idea seems unlikely. The Bengals haven't shown any signs of giving up on Dalton and instead have tried to fix his supporting cast. ADVERTISEMENT They recently hired former Packers quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt, whose departure didn't sit well with Aaron Rodgers. They also seem to be following through on an attempt to fix the offensive line, essentially swapping longtime coach Paul Alexander for former Cowboys offensive line coach Frank Pollack. Bill Lazor, who took over for the fired Ken Zampese last year, will be given his chance to fix the league's worst offense. If the Bengals are fully behind Dalton, the more likely scenario would be to eye a backup in the middle or later rounds if they don't sign a veteran. Either way, it'll be a big year for him. Dalton hasn't been the same since former Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson left after the 2015. It didn't help that several key Bengals players left in free agency, including receivers Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu and offensive linemen Andrew Whitworth and Kevin Zeitler. The struggles with the offense haven't been all on Dalton, but this will undoubtedly be a big season for him, regardless of whether they take a quarterback high in the draft. Lazor has talked about getting Dalton out of his comfort zone and being open to change in all areas. "You have to be realistic. What we did last year did not work,” Lazor told the team website. “You can’t be afraid to let go of things that did not work. As a whole, it’s been a downward trend. If that means you blow it up, then you blow it up. That’s a decision we’ll make. I’m not afraid to blow the whole thing up." If the Bengals can't get Dalton back on track along with the rest of the offense this season, they'll certainly be having the quarterback conversation again next offseason. http://www.espn.com/blog/cincinnati-bengals/post/_/id/29600/bengals-have-stood-behind-andy-dalton-but-will-they-take-a-quarterback-high-in-2018-draft Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldschooler Posted February 27, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2018 Lamar Jackson BEST FIT: Cincinnati Bengals I think Jackson will end up landing in the late first or early second round. I could see a team like theBengals bringing him on board with an early second-round selection. He wouldn't have to play right away behind Andy Dalton, but he could be used in packages as he develops. -- Daniel Jeremiah http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000917346/article/best-team-fits-for-top-qbs-available-in-2018-nfl-offseason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omgdrdoom Posted February 27, 2018 Report Share Posted February 27, 2018 April 30th, 2011 Billy Bob sports media writer Rag blog "Should the Cincinnati Bengals consider drafting another QB? Here's a few paragraphs to basically say nothing and maybe take a few jabs at Andy Dalton" Rinse and repeat in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|SF2| Posted February 27, 2018 Report Share Posted February 27, 2018 13 minutes ago, oldschooler said: Lamar Jackson BEST FIT: Cincinnati Bengals I think Jackson will end up landing in the late first or early second round. I could see a team like theBengals bringing him on board with an early second-round selection. He wouldn't have to play right away behind Andy Dalton, but he could be used in packages as he develops. -- Daniel Jeremiah http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000917346/article/best-team-fits-for-top-qbs-available-in-2018-nfl-offseason I dunno about that. It was easy for the coaching staff to dismiss a 5th round AJ McCarron but an early 2nd round Lamar Jackson could be a major distraction. Dalton has a few bad games or even quarters and the boo birds will start screaming for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|schotzee| Posted February 27, 2018 Report Share Posted February 27, 2018 I don't get it. They weren't surprised Mccarron won his grievance, yet didn't seem to try too hard to trade him and get something for him. Terrible terrible fail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omgdrdoom Posted February 27, 2018 Report Share Posted February 27, 2018 3 minutes ago, SF2 said: I dunno about that. It was easy for the coaching staff to dismiss a 5th round AJ McCarron but an early 2nd round Lamar Jackson could be a major distraction. Dalton has a few bad games or even quarters and the boo birds will start screaming for him. Eh. The same shithole fans that would hang "Don't sign Dalton he sucks" bedsheets and boo him at a charity softball game are going to boo no matter who the backup QB is. I'm sure there are more than 0 people that exist that believe Driskel is the QB of the future just because his name isn't Andy Dalton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldschooler Posted February 27, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marlon23 Posted February 27, 2018 Report Share Posted February 27, 2018 Andy Dalton just don't understand the system in which the Cincinnati Bengals, have he seems to struggle in the AFC North he is more of a fit for NFC North. Lamar Jackson is going to come to Town from what I am hearing and I do hear a lot of sounds in my head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omgdrdoom Posted February 27, 2018 Report Share Posted February 27, 2018 9 minutes ago, Marlon23 said: Andy Dalton just don't understand the system in which the Cincinnati Bengals, have he seems to struggle in the AFC North he is more of a fit for NFC North. Lamar Jackson is going to come to Town from what I am hearing and I do hear a lot of sounds in my head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|SF2| Posted February 27, 2018 Report Share Posted February 27, 2018 3 hours ago, oldschooler said: My guess is Dalton's number of quick pressure passes was 10X Keenum's this year, 15X Prescott's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Posted February 27, 2018 Report Share Posted February 27, 2018 I don’t want Jackson. If the kid from OSU (the one in Oklahoma) is there at 46 I might consider it. Otherwise not until 4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|schotzee| Posted February 27, 2018 Report Share Posted February 27, 2018 54 minutes ago, SF2 said: My guess is Dalton's number of quick pressure passes was 10X Keenum's this year, 15X Prescott's. Not sure your point unless it's a knock on the line. If it was toward Andy that would make it even more impressive of a stat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|schotzee| Posted February 27, 2018 Report Share Posted February 27, 2018 10 minutes ago, Jason said: I don’t want Jackson. If the kid from OSU (the one in Oklahoma) is there at 46 I might consider it. Otherwise not until 4. Exactly where I'm at. Mason Rudolph. 😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turningpoint Posted February 27, 2018 Report Share Posted February 27, 2018 Only the bengals would draft a back-up qb in the 2nd round, when we have GLARING holes in our Starting O-line.....good lord. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|SF2| Posted February 27, 2018 Report Share Posted February 27, 2018 1 hour ago, schotzee said: Not sure your point unless it's a knock on the line. If it was toward Andy that would make it even more impressive of a stat. My point was Andy was under WAY more pressure than the other 2. Not a knock on Andy rather the pitiful offensive line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|SF2| Posted February 27, 2018 Report Share Posted February 27, 2018 2 hours ago, Jason said: I don’t want Jackson. If the kid from OSU (the one in Oklahoma) is there at 46 I might consider it. Otherwise not until 4. No way Mayfield is available at 46 unless he fails a drug test or does something stupid with a girl. Then the Stealers would draft him. Scratch that I just realized you were talking about OK State, not OU. I still think we need to pick best lineman available unless its a reach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Posted February 27, 2018 Report Share Posted February 27, 2018 2 hours ago, schotzee said: Exactly where I'm at. Mason Rudolph. 😉 Yeah, him. I keep mixing up his name in my head with Rosen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|schotzee| Posted February 27, 2018 Report Share Posted February 27, 2018 28 minutes ago, SF2 said: My point was Andy was under WAY more pressure than the other 2. Not a knock on Andy rather the pitiful offensive line. Ok then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|schotzee| Posted February 27, 2018 Report Share Posted February 27, 2018 27 minutes ago, SF2 said: No way Mayfield is available at 46 unless he fails a drug test or does something stupid with a girl. Then the Stealers would draft him. Scratch that I just realized you were talking about OK State, not OU. I still think we need to pick best lineman available unless its a reach. Stop posting drunk. Dilly dilly Jmwy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|High School Harry| Posted February 28, 2018 Report Share Posted February 28, 2018 9 hours ago, oldschooler said: Lamar Jackson BEST FIT: Cincinnati Bengals I think Jackson will end up landing in the late first or early second round. I could see a team like theBengals bringing him on board with an early second-round selection. He wouldn't have to play right away behind Andy Dalton, but he could be used in packages as he develops. -- Daniel Jeremiah http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000917346/article/best-team-fits-for-top-qbs-available-in-2018-nfl-offseason I read an article where Pittsburgh is interested in this guy as the rebirth afterbirth of Slash. No kidding. Wide receiver replacing Whinin' Bryant who is being traded to the Minnesota Zimmers for Clinton Ha Ha Dix so they can have Ha Ha and Ju Ju on the same team. Collinsworthless would be orgasmic with that combo. (also not kidding from speculation). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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