If you ask most Bengals fans what has been holding this team back from playoff success these last two years, the answer you will hear more often than not is Andy Dalton. Dalton came in and lead a team that was supposed to be bad to the playoffs as a rookie. He then proceeded to take them back to the playoffs in his sophomore year. However, in both of those playoff games Dalton was terrible. As the Bengals lead the AFC North this year, Daltons play has been up and down all year. Some games he will look like a top 10 NFL quarterback and some games he will look like a bottom 10 NFL quarterback. The inconsistency of Dalton kills Bengals fans and makes it hard to trust him as a franchise quarterback.
With a year left on Dalton’s contract after this season, fans have to wonder if he is going to get extended or if the Bengals will wait it out. If they decide to wait and see how he does next season, it would be a good idea to bring in a quarterback from the draft to sit and learn for a year in case they don’t keep Dalton. The Bengals won’t have a shot at the top quarterbacks, but this is a deep draft that has a lot of talent in it. Who could the Bengals look at in the draft to challenge Dalton? Here are five guys who the Bengals could bring in that could challenge Dalton for the Bengals starting quarterback spot.
Blake Bortles, UCF
Bortles is a guy who the Bengals would probably have to take in the first-round if they want him and even then he may not be there. His stock has flown up this year. Bortles is being compared by some to a slightly less talented Andrew Luck. Now that is high praise for a quarterback, but he has a very similar skill set. He has prototypical size for a quarterback, but is more athletic than he looks.
He has good arm strength to make all the throws and can fit the ball into tight windows. He stands in the pocket and faces pressure, taking the hit to make the throw. He reads defenses well and doesn’t lock onto his first option. There is a chance he goes in the top half of the first-round, but if he falls to the Bengals they should really consider taking him.
Zach Mettenberger, LSU
Mettenberger was looking like a first-round pick before he tore his ACL and had to miss the rest of the season. Mettenberger is an ideal guy for the Bengals to draft, sit a year while he recovers fully and learns behind Dalton. Then if they don’t want to bring Dalton back, Mettenberger is ready to step in. There is a lot to like about him. He is a big quarterback with a huge arm.
He is still relatively raw at the position, but has shown constant improvement over his time at LSU. He isn’t athletic and isn’t going to outrun anyone, but steps up into the pocket well and keeps his eyes upfield when he does. He will be able to get the ball down the field to the Bengals big play weapons in A.J. Green, Marvin Jones and Tyler Eifert. If the Bengals can grab him in the second or third-rounds he would be a great fit.
Jimmy Garoppolo, EIU
A lot of people won’t have heard the name Jimmy Garoppolo many times when their team takes him in the draft. Playing at Eastern Illinois you don’t get a lot of notoriety outside of the draft community. However, Garoppolo has been nothing short of spectacular so far this year. Having played at a FCS school, Garoppolo could use a year to sit and learn in the NFL and the Bengals will be in a position to give that to him. He has good size for a quarterback and shows good athleticism to go with it.
Garoppolo has shown good accuracy and timing which is a must in the Bengals system. He has the arm to make all the throws and has good velocity to fit it in tight windows. He has a quick release and can evade pressure which will keep him from getting sacked often. If the Bengals can grab him in the third or fourth-rounds, they should pull the trigger.
Tajh Boyd, Clemson
Boyd entered the season as a possible top-10 pick, but has had some issues this season which have dropped him down. Boyd has a huge arm and shows good velocity on the ball when he has to fit it into tight spaces. He has an accurate deep ball, but some question whether the he looks a lot better than he is because of the talent around him. He has good athleticism and a thick build that should help him stay healthy.
However, he is shorter than ideal and has a bit of a windup when he goes to throw the ball. He has played mostly out of shotgun, but so have a lot of quarterbacks that have come out recently. He looks to run a little too fast, but shows good ability to step up in pocket when he will. He will give Jay Gruden a lot more options for plays to run. If the Bengals can get him in the second or third-round they should take a hard look at him.
Stephen Morris, Miami
Morris was in the talk as being the best senior quarterback in the country before the season started, but his season has been far too up and down for him to stay there. Morris has good enough size and great athleticism. He can make defenders miss and pull the ball down and run with it. Morris can throw well on the run. Morris also has a big arm, being able to throw the ball down the field or put the ball into a tight window.
He is very inconsistent in his accuracy though. Accuracy would be something he needed to work on his first year in the league as he sat and watched behind Dalton. Morris played all year with an achilles injury, which shows how tough he is, but also makes it a little more difficult to scout his senior tape. Morris really needs to work on his decision making too, cutting down on his turnovers is something he has to do. Morris was once seen as a possible first-round pick, but has dropped significantly. If the Bengals can get him in the fourth-round or so, they should take a hard look.