A recent report indicated the Bengals are in no hurry to make a decision about what to do with quarterback Andy Dalton and head coach Zac Taylor has confirmed that the team is content to take as much time as they need to do what they think is best for the organization.
Dalton is on the books for a non-guaranteed $17.5 million salary and $200,000 workout bonus, but the Bengals came into the offseason with ample cap space to make moves while keeping him on hand. That doesn’t mean they wouldn’t release him at some point, but they aren’t ruling out trading him or keeping him either.
“Every option is on the table out there,” Taylor said to Elise Jesse of WLWT. “We’re trying to put ourselves in the best position to make sure we’re prepared for next season and we have the best assets we can have. We think the world of Andy, obviously. It’s just kind of a weekly process for us.”
Given the uncertainty about what kind of preparation time teams will have ahead of the season, keeping Dalton on hand to work with a rookie quarterback may be more appealing than it would have been under other circumstances. There’s also the chance that an injury could open the door for a trade that isn’t a possibility right now, so the Bengals will likely continue to take things slowly with Dalton.