The Andy Dalton Era has come to a conclusion in Cincinnati, officially, as of Thursday morning. The writing was on the wall for the past week with former LSU quarterback and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow having been selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, but Dalton's release became officially Thursday morning, complete with a video montage tweeted out by the team that honored his time with the organization.
9 years
204 touchdowns
2,757 completions
An unquestionable impact on the communityThank you, Andy! pic.twitter.com/tf4XATV0by
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) April 30, 2020
Since having been selected in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft, Dalton has been the full-time starter under center for the Bengals, failing to start just 11 regular-season games in the past nine years. A three-time Pro Bowl signal caller, Dalton led Cincinnati to the playoffs in each of his first four seasons but failed to win a postseason contest with the team.
The past four years have seen Dalton finish with a sub .500 mark, bottoming out at 2-11 last year. Things were bumpy as Ryan Finley was named the starter for three contests, before the job was ultimately handed back to Dalton. Now, it's been handed to Burrow with some finality.
Whether Dalton can land himself another starting gig or not remains to be seen. Jameis Winston, who led the league in passing yards last season, recently settled to compete for the backup job in New Orleans. Cam Newton, a former MVP, remains unsigned with no clear organization bidding for his services. Dalton now joins free agency hoping to latch on with a franchise other than Cincinnati for the first time in his career.
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