QB Andy Dalton - Cincinnati Bengals

6-2, 215

Born: 10-29-1987

College: TCU

Drafted: Round 2, pick 2011

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Photo: Troy Taormina, US Presswire

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News you need to know

General News (Sun Jan 27): has a "number of years" left, according to director of player personnel Duke Tobin, and Tobin said the team is "comfortable" with Dalton as the starting quarterback.

Week 21: bye week

All QB vs

Weekly Performance vs QB 1, QB 12, QB 24

Percentile ranks

Andy Dalton's percentile rank in each category, among QB with more than 50 fantasy points.

Recent Game Summaries

2018 Week 12 vs CLE (10 / 17 / 100 / 1 / 1 pass, 2 / 21 / 0 rush)

In what has been a regular occurrence for Dalton and the Bengals offense of late, he quickly found himself in a big hole. The Bengals deferred and the Browns opened with a touchdown. The offense looked poised to answer, marching down the field with ease until a Giovani Bernard holding penalty put them behind the chains and forced a long future goal attempt which was blocked. The Browns scored again, the Bengals punted, the Browns scored again, Dalton overshot Cody Core and the pass was intercepted, the Browns scored again, and the game was basically over at 28-0 midway through the second quarter. Dalton was able to lead a touchdown drive before halftime, capped off with a 2-yard touchdown pass to John Ross. Things quickly went from bad to worse in the second half. Less than a minute in, a bad snap sailed past Dalton and as he dove to the ground trying to recover the ball, his hand hit awkwardly and he left the game. It has been reported he has a sprained thumb but nothing is broken. However, the injury was serious enough to land Dalton on injured reserve and end his season.

2018 Week 11 vs BAL (19 / 36 / 211 / 2 / 0 pass, 2 / 29 / 0 rush)

Without any semblance of a run game (Dalton led the way with 29 rushing yards), mediocre pass protection, and no A.J. Green, the deck was stacked against Dalton in this contest. For the most part, he performed admirably. Dalton took care of the ball and made the plays that were there to be made. He was especially efficient throwing to his backs and tight ends, completing 12 of 14. Dalton hit backup tight end Matt Lengel for a 4-yard touchdown on a busted coverage that left Lengel all alone in the middle of the end zone. It was getting the ball to the wide receivers that was a much bigger struggle. Dalton completed just 7 of 22 to wide receivers. He tried to force it in to Tyler Boyd nearly every third down. The duo hooked up for some key conversions but on the whole too many went incomplete and led to punts. Dalton dropped it in the bucket on a deep over the shoulder completion for Boyd that led to a game-ring future goal attempt. It was also a mixed bag throwing to John Ross. Dalton gave Ross a chance on a back shoulder fade and Ross came down with the contested catch for a 22-yard touchdown. The biggest issue was the secondary receivers. Alex Erickson was a non-profit factor and Cody Core was awful. It was a bad drop on 4th and short that hit Core in the chest which ended the Bengals chances.

2018 Week 10 vs NO (12 / 20 / 153 / 1 / 2 pass, 1 / 8 / 0 rush)

Early on, it looked like a potential shootout was brewing between Dalton and Brees. After the Saints scored on the opening possession, Dalton answered, leading an 8-play, 75-yard touchdown drive with ease. Dalton hit his favorite target, Tyler Boyd for a 23-yard gain on a crossing route to get the ball rolling. He finished the drive off with a 2-yard touchdown pass in the back corner of the end zone. Dalton showed great patience in the pocket to allow the route to develop. After another Saints touchdown drive, Dalton led the Bengals into Saints territory with a 17-yard completion to Joe Mixon and an 8-yard scramble. The Bengals were attempting to go for it on 4th-and-short but a false start by the third-string tight end ended up forcing the Bengals to punt. Yet again, the Saints offense methodically marched down the field for a long touchdown drive. After a sack caused a three and out, the Bengals offense didn't see the ball for a fourth time until after the two-minute warning in the first half after the Saints put together a fourth-straight long touchdown drive. The two-minute drill before halftime got off to another promising start. Dalton hit Boyd along the sideline for a 6-yard gain and then found Cody Core on a comeback route for 11 yards. He did an excellent job avoiding pressure and flipping it out to Giovani Bernard, who made a man miss and went for 26 yards to get the Bengals into field goal range in the final 30 seconds. The Bengals didn't have any more timeouts and could have played for the field goal but were understandably aggressive in taking a deep shot at the end zone given the 28-7 deficit. The Saints were all over it though and Dalton's throw toward John Ross went straight into double coverage. It was picked off and returned 78 yards to setup the Saints fifth first-half touchdown and essentially ended the game before halftime. The entire second half was garbage time. Dalton couldn't hook up on a couple more deep ball attempts to John Ross and the duo clearly lacks chemistry. Dalton threw a second interception on a pass tipped at the line of scrimmage. With the game out of hand, Dalton was pulled early and backup Jeff Driskel played out the string in the fourth quarter. The numbers were ugly for Dalton but the two interceptions were both due to forced aggressiveness based on the huge hole the Bengals defense put the team in.

2018 Week 8 vs TB (21 / 34 / 280 / 2 / 0 pass, 3 / 10 / 0 rush)

Dalton was on fire in the first half. After the first drive stalled in field goal range and the second drive was over quickly, Dalton led four straight touchdown drives to stake the Bengals to a 27-6 first-half lead. He got things rolling on a beautifully-thrown ball down the right sideline, dropping it right into the bucket for a 32-yard gain to backup tight end Jordan Franks. Dalton hit Tyler Boyd for a 28-yard gain that probably should have been a touchdown but the Bengals didn't challenge when he was ruled down just shy of the end zone. Dalton showed some nice moves running for a first down but the play was called back due to holding. A few plays later, Dalton squeezed one in to Green on 4th down to keep a drive alive. He would cap it off with an 8-yard touchdown to Boyd. Boyd had single coverage in the slot and Dalton threw to his back shoulder, leading him away from the defender. The Boyd-Dalton connection stayed hot on the next touchdown drive with big completions of 19 and 26 yards to setup another Mixon touchdown. Dalton finished off his fourth-straight touchdown drive with a 17-yard pass on a fade route to A.J. Green in the corner of the end zone. As hot as Dalton and the Bengals offense were in the first half, they were just as cold after halftime. Four straight three-and-outs by the offense let the Buccaneers back into the game. However, Dalton made amends by leading a 50-yard drive in less than one minute to setup a game-winning field goal as time expired. The two big plays on the game-winning drive were Dalton to Green passes for 23 and 11 yards. It was Dalton's sixth game-winning 4th-quarter drive in the Bengals last 10 games.

2018 Week 7 vs KC (15 / 29 / 148 / 1 / 1 pass, 0 / 0 / 0 rush)

What was billed as a potential shootout turned into a one-sided affair with Patrick Mahomes II greatly outperforming Dalton and the Bengals offense. Dalton wasn't put in a position to succeed. His pass protection, especially on the right side, failed against the Chiefs pass rush. A bevy of offensive line penalties also directly led to drives stalling and the Bengals being forced to put the ball back in the hands of Mahomes. The Bengals receivers also struggled at times getting separation against man coverage from Kansas City's cornerbacks. Dalton through quite a few accurate passes that Chiefs defenders were still able to defend because they were so well positioned. While all the blame for the dismal offensive performance can't be heaped upon Dalton, he didn't help matters with an awful decision trying to squeeze it in to A.J. Green surrounded by a trio of defenders. A dropping linebacker read his eyes and easily picked the pass off and returned it for a touchdown that put the Chiefs up 28 points and essentially ended any slim hopes of a Bengals comeback. The lone touchdown drive featured a lot of Dalton to Green. The Chiefs single covered Green and Dalton took advantage with completions of 20 and 31 yards, the latter completion setting the Bengals up with 1st-and-goal. Dalton finished the drive with a 4-yard touchdown pass to C.J. Uzomah, who boxed out his defender and created enough room for Dalton to fit the ball in high and outside.

2018 Week 6 vs PIT (26 / 42 / 229 / 2 / 0 pass, 0 / 0 / 0 rush)

Dalton had a solid game, taking care of the ball in wet conditions and making some plays despite mediocre protection and some drops from his receivers. The drops were especially costly early with bad drops by A.J. Green and Cody Core each causing first-half drives to stall. With John Ross, Tyler Eifert, and Giovani Bernard out, Dalton had to lean extra heavily on A.J. Green and Tyler Boyd. The Dalton-Boyd connection continues to grow and the duo thrived against the Steelers. Dalton hit Boyd for a 2-yard touchdown on an out route, lofting the ball just above the head of the linebacker and into the diving arms of Boyd. Dalton also led a touchdown drive in the two-minute drill before halftime that ended with a 14-yard touchdown to Boyd. It was an easy pitch and catch to the left corner of the end zone as the cornerback was caught flat footed on the out route and there was huge separation. Dalton also hit Boyd for a 39-yard play on a scramble drill that was called back due to a holding penalty. It was probably Dalton's best throw of the day, dropping it in perfectly to Boyd while running to his left. Trailing by six points with just over three minutes left, Dalton led the Bengals on a 75-yard touchdown drive to take the lead. Dalton hit four different receivers on the drive, including A.J. Green on back-to-back plays along the sideline for 23 and 7 yards that set the Bengals up for a short Joe Mixon rushing touchdown. It was the fifth time this season Dalton led a clutch fourth-quarter scoring to give his team the lead. Unfortunately, the drive was too efficient and left enough time for the Steelers to answer.

2018 Week 5 vs MIA (20 / 30 / 248 / 1 / 1 pass, 4 / 10 / 0 rush)

While the fantasy numbers weren't there, it was another strong outing for Dalton. The Bengals offense started hot, methodically marching down the field and inside the Dolphins 10-yard line until a holding penalty put them in 1st-and-20. On third-and-long, Dalton threw an interception in the front of the end zone. He got too aggressive trying to squeeze it in to A.J. Green and Dolphins safety Reshad Jones was able to break up the pass and tip it to a Dolphins defender. Dalton did a nice job moving in the pocket and making plays after protection broke down. He was able to step up, avoid pressure, and still complete balls downfield. Some of the passes were wobbly and didn't look pretty but got the job done. One of the off balance throws under pressure hit Green for a 23-yard gain on a deep crossing route. Green again escaped pressure and threw on the run to hit Green for a 22-yard gain to setup the Bengals first field goal. Dalton's 18-yard touchdown pass to Joe Mixon also came with pressure in his face. He stepped up in the pocket and was able to get rid of the ball despite having a defender wrapped around his legs.

2018 Week 4 vs ATL (29 / 41 / 337 / 3 / 1 pass, 2 / 13 / 0 rush)

Dalton was excellent on Sunday, getting the ball out quickly and accurately. His big passing day could have been even bigger, with a couple more touchdowns. Giovani Bernard was tackled at the 1-yard line on a screen pass before running it in the next play. Dalton also had a 9-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Green brought back on a questionable hands to the face call on an offensive lineman. Dalton's interception shouldn't have counted. The Falcons defender clearly held tight end Tyler Kroft coming out of his break but the referees somehow missed it. The ball bounced off of Kroft's hands and into the arms of a Falcons defender. Dalton's first two touchdowns came on plays where a player lined up in the slot ran open down the center of the field on a simple 9-route. The first was a 15-yard touchdown to Tyler Eifert and the second was a 39-yard touchdown to John Ross. Dalton was masterful on a 16-play, 75-yard touchdown drive in the final minutes to win the game. He scrambled for 11 yards to pick up a first down early in the drive and escaped a sack a couple plays later to scramble for a short gain. He was able to succeed despite serious pass rush pressure off of the edges. He completed three clutch passes to Tyler Boyd, two of which came on fourth-down and kept hopes alive. Dalton finished off the drive with a magnificent throw over the cornerback and outside of the safety to a sliding A.J. Green for a 13-yard, game-winning touchdown.

2018 Week 3 vs CAR (29 / 46 / 352 / 2 / 4 pass, 0 / 0 / 0 rush)

Dalton made some nice passes and was able to move the ball through the air against a tough Panthers defense. While the four interceptions on the stat sheet look bad, only one was really on Dalton. The Bengals effectively utilized what looked to be an RPO scheme with Dalton having the option to pull the ball back from Gio Bernard and hit the backside slant to either A.J. Green or Tyler Eifert. The play was a go-to for the offense. It produced gains of 9 yards to Green and 11 yards to Eifert on the opening drive. Dalton should have had a touchdown pass on the opening drive, but Green dropped a perfect pass in the end zone and Bernard ran it in the next play. Dalton's first interception came on a 3rd-and-17 when he threw up a jump ball downfield to John Ross. The cornerback outfought Ross for the ball. Dalton's second cornerback came on the backside slant that had been so successful. With Green out, his replacement Josh Malone was slow to cut inside and the cornerback was able to arrive and make a hit at the same time as the ball arrived, which popped it up into the air. Dalton's 27-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Boyd was one of his more impressive throws of the season. The pocket broke down and Dalton pulled the ball and left. He threw a dart across his body to hit Boyd in stride in the back of the end zone. Dalton later hit Boyd for a 49-yard gain on a similar broken play scrambling to his left and lofting it to Boyd down the sideline. Dalton's third interception came late in the fourth quarter. After a sack backed the Bengals up deep, Dalton tried to hit Ross on a deep route. Dalton threw the ball outside to the seam while Ross seemed to break the route off an jog toward the inside. The usually sedate Dalton was irate at Ross and while it was unclear where the route was supposed to go, it is clear the two are not on the same page and Dalton is growing extremely frustrated with Ross. The final interception was on an irrelevant Hail Mary on the final play of the game with the Bengals trailing by 10.

2018 Week 2 vs BAL (24 / 42 / 265 / 4 / 0 pass, 0 / 0 / 0 rush)

Dalton was excellent against the Ravens. After going three-and-out on the opening drive, he threw touchdown passes on each of the next four drives to stake the Bengals to a 28-7 first-half lead. After the hot start, the Bengals offense went cold for most of the second half, before rallying for a long fourth-quarter scoring drive to put Cincinnati back in command. Dalton's first three touchdown passes all went to A.J. Green. The first was from four yards out on bootleg to the right side. Play-action let Green get a step on the defender and Dalton made an accurate short throw on the move. The second Green touchdown came on a third-and-short slant. Dalton squeezed the ball in between a trio of defenders, Green broke a tackle and sprinted in for a 32-yard score. Dalton next led a 12-play, 72-yard drive that ended with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Green on a back-shoulder fade. Dalton then led a 12-play, 78-yard drive that was capped off by a 14-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Boyd on a crossing route. After a rough 18-game stretch under offensive-coordinator Ken Zampese, Dalton has bounced back under Bill Lazor. In 16 games with Lazor as coordinator, Dalton has 31 touchdown passes and just 9 interceptions.

2018 Week 1 vs IND (21 / 28 / 243 / 2 / 1 pass, 2 / 8 / 0 rush)

It was an excellent start to the season for Dalton. He threw with accuracy, showed athleticism to escape pressure, and displayed a strong rapport with each of his top receiving targets. The game started on a down note, however. Dalton's first pass of the game, he was trying to hit Joe Mixon on a swing route but rookie center Billy Price got destroyed and the defensive tackle hit Dalton's arm as he released the pass. The ball fluttered into the hands of a Colts defender. Dalton made a strong open-field tackle to save a touchdown, which ended up saving seven points as the Colts turned the ball over. Dalton's toughness also showed up on a game-changing 3rd-and-6 scramble late in the game when Dalton dove head first for a first down, taking a big hit instead of sliding. It setup the go-ahead touchdown. Dalton hit A.J. Green for a 38-yard touchdown on a perfectly thrown deep ball. He released the ball early, lofted it over the safety in the middle of the field and allowed Green to run under it in the end zone. Dalton also connected with John Ross for a touchdown on a well-thrown fade route from three yards out. The only negative for Dalton moving forward was that the pass protection from the right side of the line didn't hold up even against the Colts mediocre stable of rushers, with both the right guard and right tackle allowing five pressure each. Against teams with better defensive ends, Dalton is going to see a lot of pressure in his face.

Latest News

Bengals | Andy Dalton resumes throwing (Fri Feb 15, 09:20 PM) - Cincinnati Bengals QB Andy Dalton (thumb) was able to begin throwing a football a couple of weeks ago.

Our View: Dalton is at an interesting spot with the Bengals. He's going to return as their starter in 2019 but there is zero remaining in dead money on his contract. We'll see if staying healthy, better weapons around him and the new coaching staff led by new head coach Zac Taylor can get the best out of Dalton.
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Bengals | Andy Dalton fits Zac Taylor's offense (Wed Feb 6, 01:48 PM) - Cincinnati Bengals QB Andy Dalton drew praise from new Bengals head coach Zac Taylor Tuesday, Feb. 5, saying the veteran quarterback is a 'great fit' for the coaching staff's offensive system. 'I've seen Andy do all of the things we've asked (Jared Goff) to do (in Los Angeles),' Taylor said. 'He's great under center, great in play action, great on the perimeter and the nakeds (bootlegs), and he's been an accurate passer when asked to drop back.'

Our View: Dalton has worked well in West Coast systems, mainly from his time working with (then OC) Jay Gruden. The Bengals have some interesting weapons around Dalton and they have a strong rushing attack led by Joe Mixon. That should help Dalton when it comes to play-action passing. He's a QB2 with upside for Fantasy GMs in 2019.
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