
Chicago Bears Trading For Andy Dalton?
Are the Chicago Bears trading for Andy Dalton?
A lot of teams have been quietly watching the Cincinnati Bengals as of late.
When the organization earned the top overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, it became clear to all involved that they would be moving on from Dalton.
In all likelihood, Cincinnati will take Heisman-winning LSU quarterback Joe Burrow with the top overall pick.
Even if they don’t and opt to trade the top selection away, the Bengals would still likely only go down low enough to put themselves in a position to draft another quarterback.
One way or another, Dalton’s time with the franchise has come to an end. And to management’s credit, they seem to have pledged to handle the transition with as much grace and kindness as humanly possible.
According to multiple reports, the Bengals have told Dalton that they will work with him on a trade that benefits all sides. They will not simply take the best deal available.
“One thing that is very clear is how highly the Bengals organization thinks of Andy Dalton; off the field, on the field, in the locker room, how he handled last year and everything,” NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported recently.
“My understanding is, according to someone briefed of the team’s plans, they’re going to work with Andy Dalton to facilitate a trade out of Cincinnati when the time is right,” he continued.
“Everyone assumes they’re going to take Joe Burrow or at the very least a quarterback, and this is something that’s been communicated to Dalton.
“They value Dalton and they want to work with him and they’re not going to do anything that puts him in a bad spot or that he does not agree with going forward.”
The big question now becomes: what comes next for Dalton?
Over the course of a career that has spanned nine years, Dalton has recorded 133 starts. In that time he led the Bengals to the postseason for four consecutive years from 2011 to 2014, and made the Pro Bowl in 2011, 2014 and 2016.
Overall, he is still a very capable quarterback at the professional level. There is a decent chance that if not for getting the top pick in this year’s draft and if getting rid of Dalton did not save Cincinnati $17.7 million on the salary cap, the team might not be so interested in getting rid of him.
Given how capable of a quarterback Dalton is, many envision him landing with a contender.
Recently, ESPN NFL insider Bill Barnwell suggested that Chicago take a look at Dalton in case Mitchell Trubisky has another season in him like the one he just had.
“The Bears could consider going after one of [Bill] Lazor’s former charges in Andy Dalton, 32, who is still technically under contract with the Bengals,” he wrote.
“Cincinnati will likely cut Dalton to hand the starting job to presumed first overall pick Joe Burrow.
“Dalton is a more mobile quarterback than people think and just good enough to challenge Trubisky without immediately demanding the No. 1 job.”
This past season Dalton recorded 3,494 yards, 16 scores and 14 picks in 13 outings. Although he put up career-worst numbers in touchdown rate, yards per attempt and percentage completion rate, a lot of those struggles could be attributed to the general offensive dysfunction that has infected the Bengals.
In a different situation, one that offers a bit more structure, it would not be surprising to see those stats trend back to where they used to be.
Are the Bears really that situation, though? That is the million-dollar question.
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A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.