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Bengals shouldn’t trade Andy Dalton, and here’s why

By Leigh Oleszczak

CINCINNATI, OH - DECEMBER 29: Andy Dalton #14 of the Cincinnati Bengals walks thru the tunnel to the locker room following the game against the Cleveland Browns at Paul Brown Stadium on December 29, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH - DECEMBER 29: Andy Dalton #14 of the Cincinnati Bengals walks thru the tunnel to the locker room following the game against the Cleveland Browns at Paul Brown Stadium on December 29, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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Drafting Joe Burrow (or whoever) with the No. 1 pick doesn’t automatically mean the Bengals should move on from Andy Dalton. 

The Bengals are more than likely going to move on from 2011 second round pick Andy Dalton this offseason as a result of taking Joe Burrow number one in the draft. While this is the common move for teams who take a quarterback number one overall, but not trading Dalton is something the Bengals should strongly consider.

Burrow is the easy pick for Cincinnati with the first pick after the numbers he put up at LSU in their National Championship winning season. He threw for 5,671 yards, 60 touchdowns, and six interceptions while rushing for 368 yards and another five scores. He was sensational in Baton Rouge and for a team like the Bengals, he could do wonders for their offense.

The reason Cincinnati should keep hold on Dalton, however, is that it’s a popular trend these days for NFL teams to draft a quarterback and have an experienced veteran help mentor them.

Now, it’s worth noting that the teams who have done this usually have the veteran start and then insert the rookie when the time is right. This worked extremely well for the Chiefs who used this strategy when they drafted Patrick Mahomes in 2017 and had him learn behind Alex Smith. The Giants did the same thing with Daniel Jones and had him sit behind Eli Manning until it was clear Manning didn’t have it anymore.

The Bengals aren’t taking Burrow number one overall to have him on the bench right away, but Dalton can still help and mentor him. Dalton is also a feasible backup in case Burrow starts, struggles, and needs some time to learn the ways of the NFL before he gets re-inserted into the starting lineup again.

Cincinnati has had their fair share of problems over the years and Dalton hasn’t been the reason for their struggles. He led the Bengals to the playoffs in his first four years and almost had them in a spot to win their first playoff game in 20+ years, but then Vontize Burfict happened. That wasn’t Dalton’s fault.

As good as Burrow was in 2019, he had a lot helping him on that LSU roster including two incredible wide receivers, a talented offensive line, and a running back who could make plays. He won’t have all of that in Cincinnati – Dalton sure didn’t. Burrow also had just that one impressive season and was mediocre prior to what he did in 2019.

Having a serviceable backup is crucial in today’s NFL and that’s why the Bengals should hold onto Dalton. It might be an uncomfortable situation for both sides, but should Burrow need more fine tuning before getting a chance to show what he can do, Dalton could go out there and win games for Cincinnati.

Even though the Cincinnati Bengals should hang onto Andy Dalton and have him around to mentor Joe Burrow, the common move after taking a quarterback number one overall is to trade him and get what you can for him.

It should be an interesting few weeks for the Bengals.

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