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Andy Dalton was once one of the more dependable quarterbacks in the league. Of course, some would say that’s not necessarily a good thing considering his postseason performances. But the 2011 second-round pick was the team’s Week 1 starter as a rookie and was in the lineup until a broken thumb shelved him for the final three games and a wild card tilt with the Steelers in 2015.
Dalton would return the following year and once again open for all 16 of Cincinnati’s games that season and in ’17. But this past year proved to be rough. The eight-year pro would miss the final five weeks of 2018, meaning the Bengals’ signal-caller would play in a career-low 11 contests. He did finish with nearly twice as many touchdown passes (21) as interceptions (11) while throwing for 2,566 yards.
But it is also worth noting that Dalton hit on just 61.9 percent of his attempts, the second straight year he has struggled a bit when it comes to accuracy. In 2017, his 59.9 completion was his worst since his rookie campaign (58.1).
The Bengals still have plenty of offensive weapons in the form of wideouts A.J. Green (sidelined at this time) and Tyler Boyd, as well as running backs Joe Mixon and Giovani Bernard. The team used a second-round pick on Washington tight end Drew Sample. Of course, the offensive line is a different story these days.