Dalton Injury Could Impact Bengals' Plans
Andy Dalton‘s injury could force the Bengals to look to the future, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com writes. Jeff Driskel has the reins now in Cincinnati and his performance could lead the Bengals to reconsider Dalton as their future starter or, at least, reconsider their backup QB situation.
Dalton has two years remaining on a six-year, $96MM contract extension he signed in 2014, but the Bengals can move on next year without any fiscal penalty. There are no roster bonuses remaining on the deal either, so the Bengals could theoretically part ways with Dalton at any point in the spring or summer.
Terrell expects Dalton to stay put, unless there’s an overhaul of the coaching staff or Driskel knocks it out of the park over the next five games. Given the Bengals’ history with Marvin Lewis, a Driskel-powered winning streak may be the only thing to threaten the Red Rifle in Cincinnati.
Bengals Place Andy Dalton On IR
Andy Dalton‘s thumb injury will end his season. The Bengals will place their starting quarterback on IR, Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports (on Twitter).
Cincinnati also claimed Tom Savage off waivers from the 49ers, per Dehner (on Twitter). Jeff Driskel, who took his first NFL snaps this season, will be in line to start the rest of the way for Cincinnati. This may deal a massive blow to the Bengals’ fleeting playoff hopes.
Torn thumb ligaments will cause Dalton to venture to IR, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). It’s not known if a surgery is scheduled, but that would be logical given the IR announcement. This malady forced Dalton out of the Bengals’ Week 12 loss, but it was initially reported the eighth-year quarterback did not suffer a break. Still, he will head to IR for the first time in his career.
Dalton has missed just three games in his career — all in 2015, which crushed probably the best Bengals team in the past 30 years — and the Bengals did not invest much in a backup quarterback this offseason. A.J. McCarron departed via free agency, but the Bengals retained Driskel and essentially promoted him to QB2.
The Bengals started out 4-1 but have lost five of their past six games. Dalton did not finish losses against the Saints and Browns, the former because of the nature of the game. He was enjoying a better season than he produced in 2017, throwing 21 touchdown passes and holding a 64.6 Total QBR — nearly 20 points better than his 2017 mark.
Dalton had cooled off, though, since Cincy’s hot start, failing to eclipse 160 passing yards in three of his past five starts — the most recent such instance because of his injury. A.J. Green‘s absence had plenty to do with this, but while the Bengals’ top player may be ready to return in Week 13 against the Broncos, Driskel (36 career pass attempts) will be throwing him passes.
Driskel began his college career at Florida before transferring to Louisiana Tech. He landed with the 49ers in 2016 as a UDFA.
Savage spent parts of this season with the 49ers but was jettisoned multiple times, the most recent cut coming Saturday. He was the Texans’ opening day starter in 2017, but Deshaun Watson quickly replaced him. After Watson’s injury, Savage returned. He finished last season with 1,412 passing yards, five touchdown throws and six INTs.
Andy Dalton Avoids Broken Thumb
It’s been a rough November for the Bengals, who have tumbled off the No. 6 seed line on “If the season ended today” graphics. Now, the 5-6 team may be facing the prospect of playing its first game without Andy Dalton in three years. The longtime Cincinnati starter left Sunday’s loss to the Browns early because of a thumb injury, but Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets initial tests did not reveal a break. Dalton will undergo further examination, but it appears the eighth-year starter avoided serious injury. His status for Week 13 is uncertain, however. The Bengals did not invest much resources in at backup quarterback this year, going with Jeff Driskel after the departure of A.J. McCarron. A former UDFA, Driskel entered today’s game having thrown seven career passes — all this season. He would be in line to face the Broncos next week if Dalton can’t go.
Bengals Could Make Hue Jackson HC In 2019
- Despite unceremonious ousters from Oakland and Cleveland, La Canfora writes that Hue Jackson could become a head coach again as soon as next year. Jackson is back in Cincinnati as special assistant to Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis, and if Lewis were to retire or transition to an upper-management position, JLC suggests that Jackson could take the reins. Team owner Mike Brown, who does things his own way, is a big fan of Jackson, and league sources say they would not be surprised if Brown goes that route.
WR A.J. Green Likely Out On Sunday
A.J. Green is set to miss his third straight game. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that the Bengals have listed their star wide receiver as doubtful for tomorrow’s game against the Browns.
Rapoport notes that Green believed that he might be able to play through his toe injury, but he was still kept out of practice all week. ESPN’s Josina Anderson echoes (via Twitter) that Green won’t end up playing tomorrow, but he’s aiming for a return next weekend against the Broncos. Anderson adds that Green tested the toe today and saw signs of improvement, and there’s optimism that he’ll soon return to the field.
The 30-year-old was having another productive season, as he hauled in 45 receptions for 687 yards and six touchdowns through eight games. While the Bengals have lost both of their games without Green, the team still has plenty of offensive depth. Tyler Boyd and John Ross will continue to lead the receiver corps, while running backs Giovani Bernard and Joe Mixon will also provide Andy Dalton with reliable targets.
Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com notes that the Bengals also downgraded cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick from questionable to doubtful for tomorrow’s game. The 29-year-old has been battling a shoulder injury throughout the week. Cincinnati will likely turn to some combination of Darqueze Dennard, Tony McRae, and Darius Phillips with Kirkpatrick out of the lineup.
Bengals Place Adolphus Washington On IR
Another day, another Bengals player sidelined. This time, it’s defensive lineman Adolphus Washington being shut down for the year due to a knee injury. To take his place on the roster, the Bengals signed defensive tackle Christian Ringo off of the Cowboys practice squad. 
Washington was a third-round pick of the Bills in 2016, but didn’t do much during his time in Buffalo. Washington appeared in 15 games (11 starts) as a rookie, compiling 21 tackles and 2.5 sacks. However, the defensive tackle was arrested prior to his sophomore campaign, and the Bills subsequently shopped him for a fifth-round pick. In September, they released him, and he hooked on with the Cowboys practice squad. Soon after, the Bengals inked him to a main roster deal. His Bengals run ends with six tackles and one sack.
With Washington out, the Bengals went back to the Cowboys’ taxi squad once again. Ringo has suited up for 15 games in three NFL seasons and may get a chance to add to his resume in the final games of the 2018 season.
Bengals Place DT Josh Tupou On IR, Sign DT Niles Scott
The injuries for the Bengals’ defense just keep piling up. The team placed defensive tackle Josh Tupou on injured reserve today, ending his season, the team announced via Twitter.
To take his spot on the 53-man roster, the team signed defensive tackle Niles Scott away from the Broncos’ practice squad. Tupou’s injury was a torn pec that he suffered in practice on Wednesday, according to Geoff Hobson of the Bengals.com (Twitter link). It’s the latest in a long string of defensive injuries for the Bengals, as several starters have already missed significant time this season.
A 2017 undrafted free agent from Colorado, Tupou was a deep reserve to start the season. However, he had begun playing heavy snaps in the past couple of weeks due to all the injuries. He played around 50 percent of the snaps the past couple of weeks as a run-stuffer inside, so it’s a pretty significant loss.
Scott is a rookie undrafted free agent who has bounced around a bit. From tiny Division III school Frostburg State, Scott originally signed with the 49ers and spent training camp with San Francisco. After a sting on the 49ers’ practice squad, he wound up in Denver, where he’d been until today. It’s always cool to see a D-3 guy get a chance, and he has a realistic chance to earn some playing time on this depleted Bengals squad.
NFL Workout Updates: 11/20/18
Here’s the latest from the workout circuit (all via SiriusXM’s Adam Caplan on Twitter):
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Denver Broncos
- OL Don Barclay, OT Isaiah Battle, OL Austin Pasztor
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/20/18
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: WR Hunter Sharp, WR Aaron Wallace
- Placed on IR: DL Andrew Brown
Houston Texans
- Signed: T David Steinmetz
- Released: CB Andre Chachere
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: WR Saeed Blacknall
- Released: WR Rashard Davis
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: C Anthony Fabiano, CB Jeremiah McKinnon
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: WR Malachi Dupre
- Released: RB Troymaine Pope
Bengals Place Preston Brown On IR
The Bengals placed linebacker Preston Brown on injured reserve, per a team announcement. To fill his spot, the club signed defensive end Kasim Edebali. 
Brown missed the club’s Week 11 game against the Ravens with a leg injury and it turned out to be a season-ender. The 26-year-old will finish out the year with 42 tackles, two sacks, and four passes defensed in seven starts.
Brown led the league in tackles in 2017 while playing the third-most defensive snaps (1,180) of any linebacker in the NFL. Despite his success with the Bills and a near-perfect attendance record, he wound up settling for a one-year free agent deal with the Bengals in March. Brown was hoping to use that deal as a platform to a big payday in the 2019 offseason, but he’s back to square one after an underwhelming year in Cincinnati.
Edebali, a fifth-year pro, spent the first three seasons of his career with the Saints, before bouncing around between the Broncos, Lions, Rams, and the Saints once again in 2017. He has 61 career games and eight sacks to his credit.
The Bengals’ defense has not lived up to expectations this year and ranks just 27th in defensive DVOA, according to Football Outsiders. Brown wasn’t setting the world on fire before his injury, but losing him surely will not help matters.
The 5-5 Bengals will face the Browns without Brown on Sunday afternoon.