Thanks to two historically bad performances vs. the Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens, is it time for the Cincinnati Bengals to move on from Andy Dalton?
Three years into a—now bargain of a deal, thanks to Matthew Stafford’s recent megadeal—six-year, $96 million contract, and the former second rounder out of Texan Christian University is looking more like Mr. Cherry Blow-Gun instead of the Red Rifle.
No playoff wins. No more Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu. No Hue Jackson. And now possibly no Marvin Lewis?
Through two games so far, Dalton has completed a career-worst 54.5 percent of his passes for 394 yards and zero touchdowns. Based on those stats alone, you’d swear he was QB No.28 for his old offensive coordinator up I-75 in Cleveland for the Browns.
NFL Network reported the other day that Dalton is safe, but as we all know the NFL stands for not for long, and in this what-have-you-done-for-me-lately Insta-culture of immediate results, that does not bode well for the soon-to-be 30-year-old Katy, Texas native.
Yes, it is unfair to even fathom the Bengals benching him for Mr. Katherine Webb in A.J. McCarron , but if he has another bad outing, the calls for McCarron will only grow louder in The Jungle. And in all honesty, Dalton has no excuses when he has some of the premier playmakers to throw the ball to in All-Pro wide receiver A.J. Green, Pro Bowl tight end Tyler Eifert, rookie speedster in John Ross and a talented tailback in Joe Mixon.
While he did lose right guard Kevin Zeitler to the in-state division rival Browns, one could blame Cincinnati’s suspect offensive line, but that would be giving Dalton a pass, when he is supposed to be a so-called “”elite” quarterback.
For a player whose name gets name-dropped a lot in HBO’s dark comedy/drama, Ballers, Dalton sure as hell isn’t playing like one, as he is living up more to the middle-of-the-road overrated/mediocre designation that many have of him around the league.
Elite players MAKE their teams better, not use them as a crutch and are co-dependent on them like Dalton has managed to do so. Perhaps the free agent defections of Sanu and Jones proved bigger than anticipated, but in my opinion, Dalton has never been elite or even great or good.
Honestly, he’s an overrated average QB surrounded by elite playmakers that mask his otherwise pedestrian skill set.
Some may consider this a bit premature and a case of hyperbole, but if Dalton doesn’t begin playing better soon, the Bengals may decide to ultimately cut the Dalton era in the Queen City over before it ever really began.
I’ve never been a fan of Dalton, yet no way too soon. Only two games in, not the time to make a change.