Cincinnati Bengals’ 2010s All-Decade Starting Team
Andy Dalton
The Bengals, compared to the rest of the league, had a relatively few number of quarterbacks at the helm over the past decade.
Carson Palmer was the man under center for the 2010 campaign but was soon out the door. A.J. McCarron took over in response to injury, making a valiant attempt to get the Bengals a playoff victory. Ryan Finley was asked to step in for three games this season in response to a benching. While it was a less than ideal start to his career, there is still hope he can become a worthy backup.
Perhaps Palmer is the most talented but the nod goes to Andy Dalton, who unequivocally wins this honor. The former TCU Horned Frog lead a Bengals team to the playoffs in his rookie debut, just one year removed from a 4-12 season.
From there, he saw four more postseasons while racking up 31,594 passing yards on a 62% completion rate, throwing for a franchise-record 204 touchdowns. He made appearances in 3 Pro Bowls and won 3 player of the week awards along with 2 player of the month honors.
All of this pales in comparison with the work he did off the field and in the community. The Andy and Jordan Dalton Foundation has helped countless pediatric patients and their families, among other things. He’s set a great example, represented the Bengals organization extremely well, and given back so much to the community.
Although his future with the franchise is up in the air, Dalton has handled the situation with absolute class. Regardless of what the future holds, he will go down as one of the best quarterbacks in Bengals’ history and maintain many fans from the city of Cincinnati.