Bengals should keep Andy Dalton to mentor Joe Burrow

The Cincinnati Bengals have yet to find a trade partner to unload Andy Dalton. However, keeping Dalton around to mentor Joe Burrow would be the best move.

Andy Dalton could be key to Joe Burrow having a successful rookie season.

The Cincinnati Bengals selected Burrow with the first overall pick during the 2020 NFL Draft on Thursday. With Dalton placed on the trade block earlier this offseason, they have yet to move him. Maybe it is time the Bengals realize retaining Dalton would be the best move. Dalton could shine in his new role as a mentor to Burrow. A role that would pay him his full $17.7 million remaining in his final contract year.

In the midst of a strange offseason where players will be spending significantly less time with their teammates, pairing a rookie with a mentor would be beneficial. For a franchise quarterback, this should be a priority. Burrow needs a teammate who can keep him level headed, bring him up to speed on the coaching system and the nuances of the NFL game.

Who better to help Burrow prep for becoming an immediate rookie starter than Dalton? Dalton came in under very similar circumstances. In 2011, he was drafted to the Bengals in an offseason that experienced a lockout which shortened the offseason program. That year, then franchise quarterback Carson Palmer demanded a trade. Bengals drafted Dalton, shipped out Palmer and by the season’s end Dalton made the 2011 Pro Bowl as a rookie.

Today’s situation is even more unpredictable than the lockout season. There’s no time table on when things will change with the league making adjustments for the COVID-19 pandemic. Even more so than the lockout, it limits the opportunities for players to get together for workouts assembled outside of typical OTA’s.

For Dalton, he would also benefit by staying in Cincinnati. In this strange offseason it is not ideal to go start over in another system. Especially coming in as a quarterback. More challenges present itself in a situation where he would have to build chemistry with a new set of offensive teammates. The best option for him would be to serve his final season under contract as a backup and become a free agent in 2021.

Due 17.7 million, Dalton is currently at a price tag that makes him nearly un-tradeable. But as a free agent, he would draw interests in 2021 as teams could negotiate their paying rate for Dalton.

For the Bengals, the price tag hasn’t stopped them from being aggressive this offseason. The Bengals spent over $100 million in free agency. Plus, they drafted Burrow and have the rest of the draft ahead of them.

The best thing Dalton could do is show that he is a good teammate in 2020. This may impress potential prospect teams for the 2021 offseason. More than likely, Dalton’s next destination will have him serve as a bridge quarterback. A place where he’ll either compete for a job or be starting with a quarterback being groomed behind the scenes. If that’s the case, teams would want to see if he is the type of player who can take a player under his wing.

If there is a team that comes across an emergency situation where they feel that Dalton could help them get where they want in 2020, they will come knocking. They’d figure some sort of way to free up cap space if they believe in him that much. But for now, and unless the Bengals are blown away by an offer, the best thing for both parties is Dalton staying in Cincinnati to mentor Burrow.