Cincinnati Bengals: Best quarterbacks in team history, No. 3

The countdown of the best quarterbacks in Cincinnati Bengals history continues as we reach the midway point with the third-best signal caller.

Still a full month away from the start of Cincinnati Bengals training camp, there are still many things that remain to be seen. What is for sure, however, is that the Bengals will be attempting to make their way back into the postseason after missing out one year ago.

But until that time when training camp gets underway, we’re at a perfect juncture of the year to look back at the history of the franchise. Specifically, we’re looking back at some of the team’s best players in history, and we’ve started with the quarterbacks.

We already looked at the fifth- and fourth-best quarterbacks in Cincinnati’s franchise history (as well as some of the interesting quarterbacks not included in the top five), so now we continue with No. 3.

3. Andy Dalton

I’m not sure whether this says more about how Dalton himself is perceived, or about how few quality quarterbacks have actually helmed this franchise since its inception, but it is hard to say that Dalton is anything other than the third-best quarterback in the history of the Bengals.

There’s plenty of reason to be skeptical of his play over the year, to be sure. Much of his early career was helped along by having a slew of talented teammates alongside him, as well as the team having a deep reserve of coaching talents throughout the early 2010s.

In an era where turnovers and interceptions have dropped considerably, he threw 13+ in each of his first four seasons and fumbled four or more times in all of his seven professional seasons. In Pro Football Focus Edge player grades, he’s rated between 74.8 and 80.8 in all but one season — the embodiment of average play.

Of course, there have been positives which come with him though. He’s only missed three games in his seven-year career. He’s thrown no less than 18 touchdown passes in any season, and four times has had at least 25. He’s put together 17 fourth quarter comebacks and 20 game-winning drives in his career, and was a key reason his team was in playoff contention for each of his first five seasons.

Perhaps what places him here more than anything is the direct comparisons to the man he replaced. Dalton may not come close to the physical profile that Carson Palmer brought to the table, but his accomplishments as a Bengal overshadow just about everything Palmer was ever able to do in orange and black.

Check just about any metric and Dalton normally comes out as good as or better than Palmer. Each has seven season with Cincinnati under their belt so far, but Dalton played twelve more games than Palmer because of the latter’s injury concerns. Dalton’s record in his games is far superior to Palmer’s as well, with the better-perceived Palmer falling below .500 with the team while Dalton has averaged nine wins per season (Dalton: 63-44-2; Palmer: 46-51).

In terms of per game rate, Dalton and Palmer are practically even regarding passing yards, touchdowns, and interceptions. Cincinnati’s former starter had a better completion percentage (62.9 percent vs. 62.3 percent) and was sacked less often than their current one (Palmer: 160 sacks; Dalton: 220), but Palmer lagged behind his replacement in passer rating (88.7 vs 86.9), adjusted yards per attempt (6.94 vs 6.61), and adjusted net yards per attempt (6.19 vs 5.97). Dalton also has given Cincinnati a signal-caller with the ability to pick up yardage with his legs when necessary — an area Palmer never was a consideration for at all.

Dalton may just be an average quarterback across the scope of his career, and in many ways (particularly in terms of his physical characteristics) there isn’t much which can actually be done to elevate his game. His 2015 season would point to something more being there, but there’s little proof to the idea that he can reach that level unless he is gifted one of the better skill position groups paired with an innovative offensive coordinator.

Next: NFL QB Power Rankings 2018: Pre-training camp

Even if that is the case, however, the player he’s been for much of his career is one you can do well with anyway, and though he won’t reach those 2015 heights again the player he’s been the past two years is a pretty decent option.

He’s not an exciting player, and he’s got his undeniable limits, but Dalton is a useful option for the most part while almost never missing any time — the biggest reason Palmer couldn’t keep this team competitive in his Cincinnati tenure. A player like Cincinnati-era Palmer puts a higher ceiling on your hopes when he plays, but Dalton’s somewhat lower one, combined with much more reliable availability, has given him a better Cincinnati career than Palmer came close to having.