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Cincinnati Bengals: 3 reasons Ryan Finley should be getting a lot of attention

By Steve Rivera

LANDOVER, MD - AUGUST 15: Ryan Finley #5 and Auden Tate #19 of the Cincinnati Bengals celebrate with teammates after scoring a touchdown against the Washington Redskins during the second half of a preseason game at FedExField on August 15, 2019 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - AUGUST 15: Ryan Finley #5 and Auden Tate #19 of the Cincinnati Bengals celebrate with teammates after scoring a touchdown against the Washington Redskins during the second half of a preseason game at FedExField on August 15, 2019 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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CINCINNATI, OH – DECEMBER 10: Andy Dalton #14 of the Cincinnati Bengals reacts after a touchdown pass against the Chicago Bears during the first half at Paul Brown Stadium on December 10, 2017 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH – DECEMBER 10: Andy Dalton #14 of the Cincinnati Bengals reacts after a touchdown pass against the Chicago Bears during the first half at Paul Brown Stadium on December 10, 2017 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Andy Dalton has been in Cincinnati for a long time. As such, his success, and yes his failures, are well documented and well-debated. Die-hard Dalton fans, and you know who you are, will lament the fact that while he’s been a good quarterback, results are only nuanced, which is to say you have to look way too hard to find them.

Like anything else, it’s not illogical that the organization has an eye on what the end of Dalton in Cincinnati may look like. While I won’t say his game isn’t compatible with being a starter in the NFL, it may not be compatible with what the Bengals are looking for long term. If the threshold for keeping a job is doing better than a record of 6-10, Dalton in Cincinnati could well be on life support before December.

But is that a bad thing? The Bengals are the team that everyone already feels is destined for another last-place finish in the AFC North. Cincinnati is an organization long past due for a purge. If Zac Taylor was the first part of that inevitable change, is it illogical to think Finley might be too?

Inevitably, Dalton could be like the person who has stayed at the party a little too long. Change is good, and in Cincinnati change is long overdue.

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