Is the Bengals backup quarterback position a lock?

The Cincinnati Bengals signed quarterback Matt Barkley this offseason to replace former quarterback A.J. McCarron. Is Barkley a lock as the backup?

The Cincinnati Bengals signed quarterback Matt Barkley this offseason to a one-year deal after the departure of A.J. McCarron. When the signing happened, I expressed my thoughts on why I didn’t like the signing, and I’m still not sold. After almost all of the news coming out of OTA workouts being positive, the only negative it seems is Barkley’s throws.

There are plenty of reasons to not be happy with the signing of Matt Barkley. First of all, it proves that there is zero quarterback competition once again this season. Do the Bengals need to push Andy Dalton to be better this season with some competition in camp? That’s been the debate since his poor performance last season, but I still think that right now, given what they have, Dalton should be the starter week one.

Regardless of competition, what if Dalton were to go down with an injury late in the season as he did in 2015? That injury completely derailed the entire season as the Bengals once again were one and done in the playoffs. If he were to get hurt at some point this season, does anyone feel comfortable with Barkley stepping in and having any shot at winning games? I don’t.

Barkley has started in only six games since being drafted in 2013. In those six games, Barkley has gone 1-5, all last season with the Chicago Bears, and has thrown for 1,911 yards, eight touchdowns, and 18 interceptions with a completion percentage of 59.7. Excuse me if that doesn’t make me comfortable if Dalton were to go down even for a single game. Signing Barkley this offseason even for a minimal contract was the safest move the Bengals could have made not to make Dalton uncomfortable.

I’m not looking for a quarterback to come in and challenge Dalton for the starting job right now. I’m looking for a viable option in case Dalton gets hurt. I don’t want to see another 2015 season where the offense looks red hot, pun intended, and then be derailed by Barkley throwing interceptions and looking lost. It’s not like Jeff Driskel or Logan Woodside are going to be the backup quarterback to Dalton this season.

Driskel has been an injury case since joining the team, and while he has shown some flashes in preseason against the third strings, he’s not yet a viable option for backup. Woodside is not in the race as he has yet to throw a single pass in OTA workouts. He will likely end up on the practice squad this season. Should the Bengals be considering another veteran quarterback to bring in for training camp or preseason work?

SB Nation put out an article discussing which teams could be interested in trading with the New York Jets for quarterback Teddy Bridgewater this preseason. Bridgewater is coming back from a significant non-contact injury to his knee that cost him not only his job as the starting quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings but two years of his career. Let’s be clear; there are not rumors that I’ve seen that the Jets are shopping Bridgewater, this is all a should the Bengals look into it.

Bridgewater has been impressive in workouts this offseason with the Jets according to NFL Network, and it comes to no surprise. There was talk last year from teammates that his arm looked even stronger than before his injury and that he had good practices with the team. He never saw the field, and coach Mike Zimmer said some of that was due to reports he was hearing from doctors. It turns out; there wasn’t anything alarming with his injury, it was just him getting back to throwing the football after not playing in a game since August of 2016, which was a preseason game.

If you ask me, I think that the Jets should play Bridgewater this season. We all know what McCown is and that’s a bridge quarterback. No one expects the Jets to be a Super Bowl contender and with insufficient options for new franchise quarterback Sam Darnold to throw to, why not see what Bridgewater can do? If he looks great, trade him for some good capital.

Should the Bengals at least explore the options of a trade for Bridgewater? I think so. They have the CAP space to take on his $5 million contract, and he would be a much more viable option that Barkley would in case Dalton went down during the season. Let’s say that Bridgewater looked great all season during practices, and Dalton struggles once again this year, then you could have a real quarterback competition in Cincinnati for the 2019 season if Cincinnati resigned Bridgewater. If he ends up getting the starting job, then you have a young quarterback on another cheap deal and could easily trade Dalton for good capital considering his reasonable contract.

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Average to slightly above mediocre quarterbacks can bring in high returns when trading in the NFL. I’m not saying that Bridgewater will come in and take Dalton’s job away, but what if Dalton can’t get the Bengals over the hump this season? What if he has another terrible performance in the playoffs? Why not at least give him some competition next season while having Bridgewater as insurance this season? I see no reason not to explore the possibilities of this trade as Barkley is just a wasted roster spot on the Bengals this year. Bridgewater is a player with playoff experience and a much higher ceiling in my option than Barkley.