Cincinnati Bengals

As Andy Dalton's time in Cincinnati came to an end this week, his net worth continued to soar up.

That's especially true in the wake of his new deal with the Dallas Cowboys, where ESPN's Adam Schefter notes he'll earn $7 million ($3 million guaranteed) to serve as a backup to Dak Prescott alongside Cooper Rush.

According to Spotrac.com, Dalton's career earnings will now top $90.5 million should he reach the full value of his one-year deal.

After spending the past nine seasons with the Bengals, the team is moving forward with April's No. 1 overall draft pick Joe Burrow taking over the offense.

Dalton was thought to be on his way out of town even before Cincy landed the No. 1 pick with the team cratering last season, going 2-14 with glaring holes all over the roster.

At 32 years old and with plenty of experience on his resume, the backup role suits him quite well, and Dallas may prove the best-case scenario as his landing spot.

The Cowboys are all-in on their title hunt this season, as the top offense in the NFL last year has seemingly only gotten stronger.

Not only is Prescott back, but the team also re-signed wideout Amari Cooper to a five-year, $100 million contract before lucking out in the draft and nabbing highly touted receiver CeeDee Lamb from Oklahoma.

Giving Dalton $7 million to serve as an insurance policy of sorts became more or less vital given the amount the team has already invested in this roster.

The move also serves as a homecoming with the Texas native having played his college football at nearby TCU in Fort Worth.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver John Ross will hit the open market following the 2020 season. 

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the team has declined the fifth-year option on Ross' rookie deal after drafting the wideout ninth overall in 2017. 

In three seasons with Cincy, Ross has yet to establish himself as a legitimate threat in the offense. Knee and shoulder injuries derailed his rookie year, leaving him able to play in just three games. His second year wasn't much better.

The Washington product recorded only 21 catches for 210 yards in 2018, though he hauled in seven touchdowns during his 13-game season. To date, it's been the highlight of his career with the Bengals. 

As the team cratered in 2019 and became the worst in the league, Ross did little to help get things back on track, ending the year on injured reserve with another shoulder injury. He played in eight games last year, hauling in 28 passes for 506 yards and three scores. As the team gets ready to reboot under No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow, Ross will be playing for his next contract—and potentially the future of his NFL career. 

Despite running the 40-yard dash in 4.22 seconds at the NFL Scouting Combine with a 37-inch vertical, Ross has done little to show off those skills as a pro. 

Now he joins a wave of prominent first-rounders from 2017 who have seen their fifth-year options declined. 

Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, the No. 2 pick in 2017, and Jacksonville Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette, the No. 4 pick, each had their options declined earlier this week. 

Ross originally signed with the Bengals for $17.1 million, fully guaranteed.

 

At least one anonymous NFL general manager isn't convinced that new Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow will be a pro superstar.

According to Mike Sando of The Athletic, the GM compared Burrow to Washington Redskins quarterback Alex Smith, who was selected first overall in the 2005 NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers: "I have concerns. He does not have a lot of power or strength in his arm at all. He is a one-year producer. Love the brain, like the short accuracy. He is Alex Smith-like, and Alex was the No. 1 pick in the draft, nothing wrong with that."

After a dominant 2019 that culminated in a Heisman Trophy, undefeated season and national championship for LSU, Burrow went No. 1 overall in last week's draft.

Last season, Burrow put up passing numbers never seen from a Power Five quarterback. He completed a ridiculous 76.3 percent of his passes for 5,671 yards, 60 touchdowns and six interceptions, and even rushed for 368 yards and five touchdowns.

Smith put up great numbers as well in college, but they didn't come close to touching what Burrow did, and they came against a lower level of competition since Smith played at Utah. Much of Burrow's production came against SEC teams and other national powers like Oklahoma and Clemson.

One obvious similarity between Burrow and Smith is their size, as Burrow is 6'4" and 221 pounds, while Smith is 6'4" and 213 pounds. They also both have sneaky athleticism that allows them to make plays with their legs on a fairly regular basis.

Although Smith has had a solid NFL career with three Pro Bowl nods, it is fair to say the Bengals will be somewhat disappointed if that turns out to be Burrow's ceiling.

Smith's career regular-season record of 94-66-1 with the Niners, Kansas City Chiefs and Washington Redskins is impressive, but he has only two career playoff wins as a starter.

He also has just 193 career regular-season touchdown passes over 166 appearances. He is largely viewed as a high-end game manager, which isn't typically what a team looks for with the No. 1 overall pick.

If Burrow has a career similar to Smith's, it will also be a one similar to that of Andy Dalton, who the Bengals released after selecting Burrow.

Dalton never won a playoff game, but he took the Bengals to the playoffs five times and is a three-time Pro Bowler with good-but-not-great numbers.

The Bengals are clearly hopeful Burrow will develop into an elite quarterback, which is something they have never really had in franchise history. While Ken Anderson, Boomer Esiason and Dalton were all very good players at certain points, they were never in that upper echelon.

That is likely a big reason the Bengals have never won a Super Bowl, but there is hope in Cincinnati that Burrow can be the guy to lead them to the promised land.

Former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton and his wife Jordan have donated money to the city to aid in relief efforts for the coronavirus pandemic.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Daltons donated $150,000 to help meet medical needs in the city.

Dalton was released by the Bengals on Thursday after spending nine seasons with the organization. He has been the team's starting quarterback since being selected No. 35 overall in the 2011 NFL draft.

Cincinnati made the postseason in each of Dalton's first five seasons, earning AFC North titles in 2013 and 2015. The 32-year-old ranks first in franchise history with 204 touchdown passes and second in passing yards (31,594) and career wins (70).

The Cincinnati Bengals announced the release of quarterback Andy Dalton on Thursday.

ESPN's Adam Schefter first reported the news.

The team drafted LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, with the first overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft last week.

Dalton threw for 3,494 yards, 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 2019. As the season wore on, the writing was on the wall regarding his future in Cincinnati.

The Bengals benched Dalton for their Week 10 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens, which proved to be a 49-13 loss. They were 0-8 by that point, so it made sense to give Ryan Finley, the team's fourth-round pick last year, a few starts to see if he might be Dalton's long-term successor under center.

Following three straight defeats, Cincinnati turned back to Dalton for the remainder of the year. The 32-year-old spoke of how his demotion made him approach the game a little differently.

"It feels good," he told reporters in November. "Just as a player who has started basically every chance I've been able to without being hurt, it gives you a different perspective being on the other side. I'm glad to be back out playing. I feel I can help us win, so I'm excited to be going these last five games."

The Bengals' 33-23 victory over the Cleveland Browns in Week 17 had an air of finality. Fans cheered Dalton off the field as he walked back to the locker room, and he said after the home game he knew it might have been his last game with the team.

https://twitter.com/Bengals/status/1211399322358562821

Cincinnati is in need of a reboot after going 2-14 in 2019. The team's selection of Burrow was forecast for months beforehand, and now the path is clear for him to take over the starting job as a rookie.

Dalton's contract gave the Bengals another reason to move on. The 2011 second-round pick out of TCU was entering the final year of his deal, and they could wipe out his $17.7 million cap hit without absorbing any dead money.

As the offseason wore it, whatever trade leverage Cincinnati had evaporated. When Cam Newton and Jameis Winston—two quarterbacks who theoretically have more value—went unsigned through mid-April, the idea that a team would give up anything in order to land Dalton appeared to be a pipe dream.

The Panthers were in a similar position with Newton and also released him when a trade failed to materialize. Winston has since signed with the New Orleans Saints as a backup to Drew Brees.

Some would argue the Bengals reached a point where they were better off keeping Dalton to serve as a veteran mentor to Burrow. Others would counter Dalton had earned the right to start fresh somewhere else.

Ryan Tannehill's renaissance with the Tennessee Titans shows how beneficial a change of scenery can be for a quarterback thought to have hit his ceiling.

Dalton's 0-4 playoff record and poor performances in prime-time games will continue to be an albatross that hangs around his neck. Fans will question whether a team with postseason ambitions should make him the starter.

Bengals QB Andy Dalton is 5-11 with a 37 Total QBR in primetime games for his career

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 15, 2017

However, Dalton has generally maintained a solid baseline. He's averaging 237.5 yards per game with a 62.0 percent completion rate over his career. He also has a 4.6 percent touchdown rate and 2.7 interception rate, per Pro Football Reference.

He and Tannehill, who's one year younger, are basically the same quarterback: 63.5 percent completion rate, 231.8 yards per game, 4.5 percent TD rate and 2.5 percent interception rate.

Perhaps Dalton doesn't have another level to his game in the way Tannehill did, but nobody should be surprised if he exceeds expectations in 2020 after leaving a team that steadily sank to the bottom of the NFL.

Andy Dalton has been with the Cincinnati Bengals since they selected him in the second round of the 2011 NFL draft, but Joe Burrow plans on supplanting him as the team's starter in 2020.

"That's my goal," he told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network during an appearance on the RapSheet and Friends podcast. "I'm going to work really hard to get there. That first snap of training camp I'm going to walk into that huddle super confident."

While some highly regarded rookies and even No. 1 picks spend time on the bench before taking over as the starter, logic dictates the Bengals didn't bring Burrow in with the first pick of the 2020 NFL draft for him to sit.

After all, they are coming off a 2-14 campaign and haven't enjoyed a winning season since 2015.

Cincinnati could very well trade or release Dalton as well, although he told Michael Silver of NFL.com before the draft that he could be back with the only NFL team he has ever known.

"I truly believe they want what's best for me, but I understand it's a business, and you know how that goes," Dalton said. "With the first pick, if they take a quarterback like everyone expects, that could trigger something. There's even a scenario where I go back there."

Burrow is coming off one of the most impressive collegiate seasons in history after leading the LSU Tigers to a national championship as the Heisman Trophy winner. All he did was throw for 5,671 yards and 60 touchdowns while playing his way all the way to the top of the draft board.

It is a new era in Cincinnati and one that could see Burrow working with a number of weapons at his disposal if he does win that starting job. In addition to second-round draft pick Tee Higgins from Clemson, the Bengals have Joe Mixon in the backfield and A.J. Green likely coming back from injury.

It is not difficult to envision Burrow leading the Bengals to an immediate turnaround, but he has to accomplish his goal of becoming the starter first.

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor says the team has "no concern" with Joe Burrow learning its system despite all team workouts being indefinitely postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Taylor told Peter King of NBC Sports:

"I don't think schematically there's gonna be anything that's overly concerning with him. It's just the physical reps of playing against the speed in the NFL. And the different defenses you'll face and the disguises that those guys can utilize. As smart as you are, sometimes you just need those physical reps. You need to train your eyes to see them at this level. He played in the SEC. You saw how many picks went in the first round from the SEC. It's gonna get you as prepared as it can.

"But nothing can replicate what an actual NFL defense looks and feels like on game day, particularly in our division. So, you just want those physical reps as much as you can get them. We'll take it—every practice they'll give to us when the time comes. We'll utilize all of them. Do our best to get up to speed and make sure we account for all those physical reps that may be missing right now."

The Bengals selected Burrow with the top overall pick Thursday night. While fellow Round 1 QBs Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert and Jordan Love all have veteran options ahead of them who may or will take the Week 1 snaps, Cincinnati took Burrow with the expectation he'll be the opening week starter.

Burrow is coming off perhaps the single greatest season for a college quarterback. He threw for 5,671 yards and an NCAA record 60 touchdowns, leading LSU to a 15-0 record and a national championship victory over Clemson.

Burrow, who was equipped with arguably the best group of skill-position players in the country at LSU, joins a Bengals offense that isn't looking too shabby after the draft.

Cincinnati added Clemson wide receiver Tee Higgins at the top of Round 2, giving Burrow a group that also includes Tyler Boyd, A.J. Green and John Ross. Higgins, Boyd and Ross are all 25 or under, and Green is one of the most reliable veteran wideouts in the NFL when healthy. Add running back Joe Mixon to the list, and the Bengals are a good line away from a strong offense on paper.

Burrow spent last season in a spread offense at LSU, which allowed him to use his quick-read ability and accuracy to find open targets.

Taylor did not impress much in his first year as the Bengals' head coach. Cincinnati's offense trended toward the conservative far more than you'd expect from a 36-year-old coach, and his scheme lacked any real signs of innovation. Hired after spending just one year as Sean McVay's quarterbacks coach in Los Angeles, Taylor perhaps has to prove himself more than Burrow heading into 2020.

If Taylor doesn't alter his own scheme to look more like LSU's, it should be the young coach, not the quarterback, who takes the brunt of the criticism.

LB Markus Bailey, Purdue

      

STRENGTHS

—Made 40 consecutive starts and was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten.

—Top-notch awareness and recognition; routinely able to key and diagnose quickly post-snap.

—Triggers downhill without hesitation and brings every bit of his size into contact. 

—Comfortable in low-area zone coverage with the ability to bounce in and out of phase with multiple underneath routes

—Block-avoidance skills are better than block destruction and allow him to scrape windows closed versus off-tackle runs.

        

WEAKNESSES

—Suffered two season-ending knee injuries during his time at Purdue and underwent offseason hip surgery prior to his senior season.

—Underwhelmed with 15 bench-press reps at the combine (fourth-fewest among linebackers), which confirmed a lack of upper-body play strength.

—Has undersized frame (6'0", 235 lbs) and arm length (31½"), which is less than ideal for man-coverage expectations in the NFL.

—Explosiveness in all planes looks limited; will leave him trailing quick-twitch athletes to the boundary.

—Slow power in his hands to stack out; doesn't affect like it needs to given his lack of length.

—Lack of mobility throughout his lower half, perhaps because of injuries, which will limit his ability to open and run laterally versus NFL speed.

      

OVERALL

When healthy, Bailey's ability to diagnose and trigger makes him more than worthy of an NFL roster spot. Unfortunately, the Purdue product had two season-ending knee injuries and an offseason hip injury. Bailey has to be correct as a processor because of his athletic limitations, but there's no doubt that the three-year starter and bright Boilermaker can compete in the NFL.

       

GRADE: 64

PRO COMPARISON: Vince Williams/Zach Cunningham

OT17 Hakeem Adeniji, Kansas

STRENGTHS

—48 consecutive starts and has been a bona fide stud along the Kansas offensive line since arriving on campus as a freshman.

—Hand placement, both together and independently, is strong and allows him to gain proper leverage and torque from his upper body.

—Fires off the ball with purpose in the run game and looks to initiate contact.

—Competitive toughness is solid and on display particularly on down blocks. He's looking to knock dudes out with nasty finishes that establish him as the game's alpha. 

            

WEAKNESSES

—Segmented pass protector who looks like he's routinely overthinking the process. The best protectors look natural, and he looks like he's going through the motions.

—Robotic in his pass sets, and it shows when he has to set off-script. Doesn't show the varied set, length to his spot or drive out of his stance to maintain half-man relationship. This forces him to open his hips far too early.

—Underwhelming athlete in lateral movements as a pass-protector. If he doesn't engage in “typical" sets, he struggles to be creative to still win reps.

—Inside post leg is slow and expands his base too much when he has to redirect versus interior counters. This overextended movement creates some balance issues upon contact in pass protection.

              

OVERALL

Hakeem Adeniji has nearly 50 starts in college football and is ready for life in the NFL. Adeniji looks like a well-polished product who has all of the fundamental ability expected when transitioning to the pros. He's been taught to adequately pass set, land his strikes with good placement and finish with attitude. Unfortunately, that well-trained skill set can actually inhibit Adeniji from being able to play off-script when things break down; and they do in the NFL. If Adeniji becomes a more natural player, he could be a routine starter sooner rather than later.

         

GRADE: 62

PRO COMPARISON: Jake Matthews/Shon Coleman

EDGE12 Khalid Kareem, Notre Dame

STRENGTHS

—Instinctive, productive player who was a leader on the Notre Dame defense as a senior.

—Plays with power throughout his body and can rock back offensive tackles with his initial jab.

—Uses combo of power and length to stun blockers off the snap.

—Awesome frame that's Day 1 NFL-ready at 6'4", 268 lbs with 34 ⅜" arms and 10 ⅞" hands.

—Technique and hand usage to beat blockers without needing top-end speed or burst.

—Gets good push off his first steps and can stun some blockers with his quickness.

—Impactful in the run game thanks to size and strength.

              

WEAKNESSES

—Won't wow anyone in athleticism; stiff, labored movements in space.

—Doesn't slip blocks and is a straight-line pass-rusher only.

—Bull rush is his go-to move, but it gets stopped by strong tackles; will need a countermove to work in the NFL.

—Doesn't have the speed or quickness to excel in pursuit.

—Could struggle to ever get a jump on tackles in the NFL without the speed or flash off the line of scrimmage.

           

OVERALL

Kareem is a good player who has limited athleticism but is technically proficient and is smart enough to handle his own against NFL pass protectors. A lack of speed could make him a hard sell as a starter right out of the gate, but there's enough potential in his strength and frame to see him become a high-level rotational player or spot starter.

           

GRADE: 70

PRO COMPARISON: Trey Hendrickson/Alex Okafor