Cincinnati Bengals: Ryan Finley getting a shot to prove he can be the guy

The Cincinnati Bengals are benching QB Andy Dalton and letting Ryan Finley go out there and show his stuff. Can he seize the day?

The Cincinnati Bengals are currently the worst team in the NFL with an 0-8 record, but that’s only because they’ve played more games than the 0-7 Miami Dolphins.

Still, there’s no question about the fact that Zac Taylor’s first year as Bengals head coach has not gone according to the ‘best case scenario’ they drew up, and now it looks like they’re going into evaluation mode.

That mode doesn’t include quarterback Andy Dalton, who was reportedly benched on his 32nd birthday.

Ouch.

So it’s officially Ryan Finley szn in Cincinnati, and Finley is honestly a guy worth giving a nice sample size to.

Ryan Finley at a glance

• Height: 6-4
• Weight: 207 pounds
• College: North Carolina State
• Draft: 4th round, 2019

Preseason stats

• 47-of-64 passing (73.4 percent)
• 414 yards
• 3 TDs
• 1 INT

Although it was just preseason play, Finley was definitely turning heads around the league.

Coming out of North Carolina State, it was obvious that Finley had tools to become a solid starter at the NFL level, but based on his overall upside, it was probably appropriate that he went in the fourth round.

Still, this is a smart quarterback with lots of college experience who is a much better athlete than people give him credit for. Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network feels like Finley has some qualities similar to those of LA Rams starter Jared Goff, and of course it was Goff and the Rams’ offense that got Zac Taylor hired by the Bengals in the first place.

Finley showed off his anticipation and ability to fit the ball into tight windows throughout the preseason, so this move shouldn’t be written off as just the Bengals giving up on the season.

They are going to give Finley a legitimate look as they prepare for what could be a top 2 or 3 selection in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Could Finley be the starter from now on in Cincinnati? Would he save them their top pick so they can take a difference maker defensively like Chase Young?

Time will tell. Finley hasn’t been given the best situation to step into but he’s been given an opportunity, and he has the chance to seize it.