The Bengals Have Never Given Andy Dalton a Challenge
By Jack Lane
Andy Dalton has been the Cincinnati Bengals’ quarterback for 8 years without a quarterback to compete with. Will that keep Dalton from reaching his peak?
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton has been a controversial player during his tenure as a Bengal. His ability to win regular season games, yet fall short in the postseason is nothing short of mercurial. Regardless of his shortcomings, Dalton has always had one thing going for him: he’s always been the best quarterback on the Bengals. The Bengals have never been able to turn to someone equally as good on the bench
Similarly, Dalton has never had to worry about losing his job following poor performances. Since the day the Bengals drafted him, the team essentially penciled Dalton in as the starter. Now, Dalton’s work ethic and ability to improve has never been in doubt. However, there is a certain comfort that comes with a guaranteed starting job that takes away some drive. The Bengals have never given Dalton any competition to speak of, which may have hindered him from reaching his peak performance.
Looking back over Dalton’s backups since his acquisition in 2011, the talent is pretty threadbare. Prior to the Bengals adding A.J. McCarron, the team used journeymen quarterbacks to play behind Dalton. In both 2011 and 2012, the Bengals’ primary backup was Bruce Gradkowski. Gradkowski got some starts in Oakland with the Raiders, but he was never a threat to take Dalton’s starting job. If anything, the Bengals brought in Gradkowski to mentor Dalton rather than challenge him.
Once the Bengals moved on from Gradkowski, they signed eternal journeyman Josh Johnson to back up Dalton. Johnson has played for 10 (10!) different teams in the NFL, so he clearly doesn’t have staying power. I actually went to Bengals training camp in 2013, and crossed the street with Johnson, who was wearing his full uniform and cleats. I had no clue who he was, even with his jersey on. Johnson was never anything more than a stopgap for the Bengals, and certainly never challenged Dalton for the starting role.
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In 2014, the Bengals finally added a quarterback who had a solid pedigree in A.J. McCarron. McCarron, a three-time national champion at Alabama, fell to the fifth round of the draft. Getting a proven winner as a backup quarterback was an excellent move by the Bengals. The same talent issue persisted, though. McCarron was a great game manager at Alabama and in Cincinnati. However, his lack of athleticism and talent has always hindered him. McCarron’s intangibles got him to the NFL, but he was never a serious threat to dethrone Andy Dalton.
He sat behind Dalton for four seasons on the Bengals depth chart and showed promise when Dalton went down. In 2015, Dalton missed the end of the regular season, so McCarron stepped up and started. He played fine at the end of the season but really proved himself in the playoffs by leading the Bengals to a late 4th quarter lead. Even after putting together the best playoff performance by a Bengals quarterback since 2000, McCarron was still never in the conversation for starting quarterback. Simply put, McCarron wasn’t talented enough to be the every-game starter. His talent never threatened Dalton. That gave Dalton the same comfort he has felt his entire career.
Going into this season, nothing has changed for Dalton. All Dalton has to do this year is outlasting Jeff Driskel, Logan Woodside, and Matt Barkley. Rather, all Dalton has to do is stay healthy. He’s never had to experience outworking or to outperform another talented quarterback. He’s never had to look over his shoulder every game. Players like Tyrod Taylor and Alex Smith have had career years playing with the threat of rookies behind them. In Taylor’s case, the Bills even benched him during the season.
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Dalton has never experienced that. Dalton won’t experience that this year. The Bengals had the chance to challenge Dalton with Lamar Jackson this year. This could even be the most substantial amount of talent gap between Dalton and his backup during his time in Cincinnati. For now, Dalton will continue to start for the team with complacency. I expect Dalton to be good, but will he be his best?