Joe Burrow compares more to Andy Dalton than Andrew Luck or Carson Palmer

While the entire NFL world is comparing Cincinnati Bengals’ quarterback Joe Burrow to Andrew Luck and Carson Palmer, the superstar quarterback who took the Bengals to the Super Bowl just four years ago reminds some of us more of a broken Andy Dalton at the end of his tenure in the Queen City.

While Andy Dalton was labeled an average second-round quarterback, he led the Bengals to five consecutive playoff appearances, including his rookie season, and two AFC North championships.

And believe it or not, Dalton was sacked more than Andrew Luck along the way.

Still, Dalton never retired, nor demanded a trade. And that is where we are with Burrow. Not retired and not asking for a trade, but playing, and getting hit a lot while doing so.

Bengals’ personnel decisions helped break Andy Dalton

The main culprit in Dalton’s decline was the slow denudation of roster talent, particularly along the offensive line.

From 2011 to 2015, Dalton was one of the most protected passers in the NFL, which he inherited from Carson Palmer’s run in Cincinnati. Then, that protection began to erode.

The team attempted to replace Andrew Whitworth and Andre Smith with first and second-round selections in 2015. Those picks ended up being Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Fisher, respectively. 

The team resigned Whitworth for one year, through the 2016 season. The Bengals let Smith walk in 2016 and promptly brought him back in 2017. 

The personnel department, while allegedly trying to get back to the playoffs and win, spent a first and second-round draft pick in 2015 on players who would not contribute anything other than protecting the front office from extensions for their offensive tackles, two seasons down the road, while forgoing acquiring high draft picks that could contribute immediately.

Eventually, atrocious draft selections along the offensive line, like Ogbuehi, Fisher, and Billy Price, led directly to the figurative, and at some points, literal, breaking of Andy Dalton.

The offense also had to play behind some other questionable, non-draft talents like Alex Redmond, Bobby Hart, and starting left tackle Cordy Glenn.

Read More: Joe Burrow pleads for Bengals to change amid fresh Bill Belichick rumors

Like Burrow, Andy Dalton sacked more than Andrew Luck

Beginning in 2016, the sacks started piling up. Dalton's 41 sacks tied for the second most in the NFL. One of those who shared that amount was Colts quarterback Andrew Luck. 

Carson Palmer was the fifth-most-sacked QB that season in Arizona. So, there’s that. 

Take any six-year stretch that you want, and you will find that Dalton suffered more sacks than Luck. 

In his six years of action, Luck was sacked 174 times in 86 games for an average of 29 per year.

In his first six years in Cincinnati, the Bengals allowed 181 sacks of Dalton in 93 games with an average of 30 per year. Over his final six years with the Bengals, it was 179 times in 85 games. He took five more sacks in one fewer game than Luck did in that time frame. That average comes to 28.5. 

Opponents sacked Dalton an average of 30.9 times a year in his eight years with the Bengals. Furthermore, Luck never suffered a 46-sack season as Dalton did in 2012.

Through his first six professional seasons, Burrow has played in 74 games, and his sack total stands at 206.

Things got worse for Dalton under Zac Taylor

In 2019, behind a depleted offensive line, Dalton played in 13 games and was sacked 37 times. And that does not take into account the numerous hits he was taking. 

However, by that point, the damage to Dalton’s confidence in his pass protection was done, justifiably so.

Dalton was unceremoniously benched on his birthday. 

As a team, the offense allowed 48 sacks in 2019, the most in the Dalton era.

Constant hits changed Andy Dalton’s play

Andy Dalton joined the team while Carson Palmer was still under contract. Palmer was making good on his promise to never play football again with the Cincinnati Bengals. 

Dalton immediately came in and led the Bengals to the playoffs. He did so for five consecutive years on “the worst franchise in the NFL” in the minds of many. 

Then, like with Marvin Lewis, decisions came from above his caste that affected his play.  

Dalton's decline was in part due to the Bengals organization, which slowly reduced what had once been a quarterback renowned for seeing the field and making anticipatory throws to one who was seeing ghosts in the pocket, looking down at the rush and throwing high, sailing passes. 

In the biz, they sometimes refer to that as “happy feet.”

Watching the pass rush instead of anticipating throwing open receivers is a mental part of the game. Rushing throws to get the ball out of your hands can lead to high, sailing passes. That happens when the quarterback does not trust his protection and is not always concentrating on what is happening down the field.

Hopefully, that process has not yet begun with Burrow.

Nevertheless, the rush, sailing passes, and not reading defenses correctly due to constant hits are things the Bengals organization should worry about if Joe Burrow is currently experiencing that. 

And that is what should be most concerning to us all before we worry about whether he retires like Luck or demands out like Palmer.

Joe Burrow entered NFL behind bad OL

To anyone who would dare fix their lips to say that Burrow deserves some of the blame and that no offensive line is consistently that bad, we present the Cincinnati Bengals. 

While Dalton inherited a competent offensive line at the beginning of his career, Burrow was not as fortunate. 

We understand how inadequate the pass protection has been in front of Burrow since he arrived in the league. But contrary to what some believe, it was like that before he got to Cincinnati.

In 2020, the Bengals started rookie Burrow, who played until what would be his first of several season-shortening injuries occured. 

That season, the team gave up 48 sacks, again. Those were the fifth-most surrendered that season by any NFL team. 

We know how awful the Bengals have been at protecting Burrow over the past six seasons. Now, it is beginning to take a heavy toll on him, and he is speaking about it while trying not to call out his teammates.   

When Dalton arrived in Cincinnati, the offensive line was one of the best. And while it was, the team was making it to the playoffs. When it was not, the team did not. 

Burrow’s Bengals exit could look more like Dalton’s than Palmer’s or Luck’s

No, Andy Dalton‘s departure from the Bengals organization was not as abrupt as Carson Palmer’s. Nor was it as sudden as Andrew Luck’s retirement. 

However, Dalton’s decline in perception and play came after a decline in the offensive line, and taking a lot of hits and sacks. 

After great, early career success, Dalton began to not look like himself. One reason for that was a lack of pocket protection.  

The Bengals' front office must find a way to protect Burrow better and improve the defense. So far, they have done neither. 

If Burrow continues to get hit and injured, through no fault of his own, contrary to what some would have you believe, then it is only a matter of time before he starts to look at the pressure and start throwing high, sailing passes.

After Burrow’s latest press conference, we should not worry about him going the way of Luck and retiring. Unlike Palmer, he said he does not envision a scenario in which he is not back with the Bengals next year. But if he continues to take a figurative and literal beating at the hands of opposing defenses, he could start to look like 2017-2019 Andy Dalton. 

And if that happens, whether he decides to keep playing or not, and no matter which team he plays for, we will have seen the best of Burrow. 

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