Jeff Driskel started for the Cincinnati Bengals after Andy Dalton suffered a season-ending injury last year. He may not even be on the roster this coming season.
The Bengals drafted former N.C. State quarterback Ryan Finley and also have undrafted free agent Jake Dolegala on the roster. Geoff Hobson, on Bengals.com, broke down the situation, giving insight into how the team might approach the decision.
I think the initial big-picture intent is to make fourth-rounder Ryan Finley the backup while putting Jake Dolegala on the practice squad. But does that happen this year or next? It depends how Finley responds in his rookie preseason. If he’s ready (and he is mentally but he’ll have to prove it physically), then they can cut Driskel. But if Finley needs a year to develop, I would imagine they’d have to keep three QBs.
Driskel spent the 2016 and 2017 seasons as the Bengals’ third-string quarterback before moving up on the depth chart last year and finally making his NFL debut when Dalton’s year ended with thumb surgery.
Driskel's career path has already been pretty jagged. He got off to a promising start at the University of Florida, where he was expected to be the next Tim Tebow, but a broken leg during his junior season in 2013 derailed him and the next year he lost his starting job. Driskel transferred to Louisiana Tech in 2015 and threw for 4,033 yards and 27 touchdowns.
The San Francisco 49ers selected him in the sixth round of the 2016 draft but he was cut at the end of the preseason, and the Bengals ended up claiming him off waivers.
We'll see if his time in Cincinnati is coming to an end, too.
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