Cincinnati Bengals players apparently want Colin Kaepernick on the team
By David Rouben
With the Cincinnati Bengals off to an 0-2 start, the players are reportedly requesting a change under center in the form of Colin Kaepernick.
Even though it’s been just two weeks, it feels like the sky is falling in Cincinnati. The Bengals have started the season 0-2 and have only managed to put up nine points on offense. Next to Marvin Lewis, Andy Dalton has been an easy scapegoat for Bengals fans, since he has thrown zero touchdowns and four interceptions in their opening games.
The slow start has already led to the Bengals firing their offensive coordinator. But Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported that there was a “near mutiny” in the Bengals locker room following their loss to the Houston Texans. He went on to say that the “leash isn’t quite so long” for Dalton, and that there’s a “feeling among some of the players that the Bengals should go off the board and consider bringing in Colin Kaepernick.”
While Kaepernick has dominated the headlines during the offseason, the conversation was brought back once bad quarterback play became a theme during the start of the season. The NFL’s top stars in Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady have advocated for him to be signed, and on the surface, it makes no sense for teams that play Blake Bortles, Scott Tolzien and Tom Savage among others to not even look in Kaepernick’s direction.
The Bengals and Dalton belongs on that list as well. Ever since Hue Jackson left Cincinnati, the Red Rifle’s numbers have fallen off a cliff. By contrast, Kaepernick had 12 touchdowns and four interceptions last season despite having controversy follow him wherever he went.
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That being said, it’s not a guarantee that signing Kaepernick would immediately fix the Bengals’ problems. Part of the reason why Dalton’s played so poorly is because his offensive line hasn’t protected him well enough, and it won’t be easy for Kaepernick to get settled. In addition, he has to adjust to a new scheme on the fly.
Whether this is the players’ strategy to get Lewis fired, or if they really want Dalton gone, it’s worth keeping an eye on how things unfold in Cincinnati.