Andy Dalton has done nothing but make an impact in the community with his charity and his very sincere and kind gestures off-the-field. On the field, Dalton has helped the Bengals reach the postseason nearly fifty percent of his time with the Bengals. After Carson Palmer had demanded a trade and left the organization, during a time it seemed not many wanted to be a part of the Bengals organization, Dalton embraced the challenge and wanted to help change the culture. He helped to do just that during the earlier half of this past decade. 133 games played, 31,594 yards pass, 204 passing touchdowns and 118 interceptions; stats don't tell the whole story of Dalton's time in Cincinnati. There were some roller coaster plays, games, seasons but he never gave up on the team or the city. But we all know in professional sports, it's about winning. Though he [Dalton] did lead the Bengals to the playoffs five times, he also failed to lead them to a playoff win during his time. And like former head coach Marvin Lewis, it seemed that his time too is running out.
The Bengals have a decision to make the weekend of April 23-25 (NFL draft). The Bengals have to decide if they want to trade Dalton, even if it's to a place where he doesn't want to go, to acquire more possible picks. Or do they release Dalton before June 1, saving that $17.7 million in salary cap space. However, there's always the option to keep him for the final year of his contract, while not something fans would probably hope for, which honestly wouldn't be the worst thing for this team or Burrow. Look at history: Palmer sat for a year, behind John Kitna, and when he finally started he looked amazing and like he understood the game more.
If the decision is to trade Dalton come draft weekend, who are the realistic teams of interest? What are teams willing to give up for a former pro bowl quarterback? A few teams come to mind: The Jacksonville Jaguars, the New England Patriots, the Los Angeles Chargers. Outside of that, I don't see the market being too big for Dalton. I believe the best case scenario for the Bengals would be to take a third-or-fourth-round pick on the Aging quarterback. I don't see the ceiling being any higher than it is for him. The Patriots, in my opinion, could have him looking like the 2014 version of himself (early MVP candidate) before the injury. But, are they willing to make an offer that would satisfy the Bengals?
In the next month or so, we will see what value the Bengals hold for a quarterback that embraced the organization, team and city when so many others doubted and didn't believe. He helped to re-energize a football organization that looked like it was trending down before he arrived in 2011. The NFL draft is April 23-25. More than likely, reigning Heisman-winner, Joe Burrow will be a Bengal after that weekend. But, will Andy Dalton?
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