The Red Rifle’s days in orange and black are through.
The Cincinnati Bengals released quarterback Andy Dalton Thursday.
The move was expected for months after the Bengals finished the 2019 season a league-worst 2-14, locking them into the No. 1 overall draft pick and first dibs on LSU’s Heisman-winning quarterback Joe Burrow.
The Bengals drafted Burrow last week, and coach Zac Taylor said in an interview the team planned for Burrow to compete for the team’s starting job. Now, that won’t be a competition with Dalton, but with second-year quarterback Ryan Finley and whomever else the Bengals bring in at camp. The move saved Cincinnati $17.7 million.
Dalton spent nine seasons as the Bengals’ starting quarterback, amassing a 70-61-2 record in that time. After four consecutive playoff appearances from 2011 to 2014, Cincinnati hasn’t made it back to the postseason since.
Dalton, 32, has thrown for 31,594 yards, a franchise-record 204 touchdowns and 118 interceptions in his career with a 62% completion percentage.
He joins Cam Newton as the most notable quarterbacks on the open market. Some reports have already linked Dalton to the New England Patriots, who did not draft a quarterback to replace the departed Tom Brady last week.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport had a different idea: Dalton could land with the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he’d be reunited with his former offensive coordinator Jay Gruden — the ex-Redskins coach.
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
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