1. Dalton, Mixon finish with career years
Making the claim that 2019 could make or break Dalton’s future with the Bengals may sound crazy to even consider, but also the last thing Cincinnati wants to do is waste time with a quarterback who can’t get the job done.
If Dalton can find a way to flourish during his first season playing under Taylor, and perform at a high level, well then this won’t even be an issue for a team like the Bengals.
But until Dalton manages to prove himself worthy of being the answer for Cincinnati under center, the pressure is going to continue for the TCU product.
On a positive note, not only should Dalton continue to benefit from having one of the top receivers in the NFL to work with in A.J. Green, but also Joe Mixon took a major leap production wise during his sophomore campaign in 2018.
Rightfully so, there were some questions surrounding Mixon when the Bengals decided to select the running back in 2017 during the second round of the draft, but his ability as a rusher and receiver takes a ton of pressure off Dalton running the offense.
Assuming Mixon builds off of last year’s success in which he finished with 1,464 yards from scrimmage to go along with nine touchdowns, Cincinnati’s offense is the last unit any team should sleep on heading into the 2019 season.
For all the Bengals know, if both players emerge with career seasons, maybe a Super Bowl run doesn’t sound so crazy after all in the AFC, so it will be fun to see how all this plays out.