Finley will replace Dalton as Bengals’ QB
Rookie quarterback Ryan Finley is replacing longtime starter Andy Dalton after a 0-8 start to the 2019 season and is expected to see his first NFL action when the Bengals return from their upcoming bye week to face the Ravens on Nov. 10 at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati.
Here are five things to know about Finley:
❚ 1. The Bengals traded up six spots – giving up a pair of sixth-round picks – to select Finley in the fourth round (104th overall) of the 2019 NFL draft. It was the earliest the Bengals had drafted a quarterback since they took Dalton in the second round in 2011. But offensive coordinator Brian Callahan insisted a short time later that Dalton was the Bengals’ quarterback and that would not change at all with the addition of Finley.
❚ 2. When Finley was drafted, he said he had been compared to Rams quarterback Jared Goff, in part because both quarterbacks are 6-4. Goff played for Zac Taylor when Taylor was the Rams’ quarterbacks coach before Taylor left to become the Bengals’ head coach this year.
❚ 3. Finley impressed at North Carolina State with his accuracy. Some scouts explained that he dropped to the fourth round in the draft because of concerns about his arm strength. As a senior, Finley completed 67.4% of his passes for 3,928 yards with 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions and was a first-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference selection.
❚ 4. Finley is in his first year in the NFL, but he turns 25 in December. He started at Boise State University and redshirted once there before transferring to North Carolina State and redshirting as a junior.
❚ 5. Finley might not run much, maybe even less than Dalton. As a senior for the Wolfpack, Finley rushed 42 times for just 21 yards and a touchdown.