Bengals choose Jason Campbell over Ryan Fitzpatrick

With the Cincinnati Bengals signing Jason Campbell on Wednesday night, Pro Football Talk updated that Cincinnati actually debated between Campbell and former Bengals quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the decision came down to Campbell and Ryan Fitzpatrick, who once was a backup in Cincinnati to Carson Palmer.

The lure for Fitzpatrick is powerful. In the past three seasons (two with the Buffalo Bills and one with the Tennessee Titans), Fitzpatrick has completed 62 percent of his passes, thrown for nearly 9,700 yards and 72 touchdowns -- a passer rating of 83.9. Between '10-'12, Fitzpatrick surpassed 3,000 yards passing in each season and combined for 71 scores.

On the other hand, in two of the past three seasons, Jason Campbell failed to reach a passer rating of 80. Only once (2009) did he reach 20 touchdowns, even with four seasons of 12 starts or more. In fairness, Campbell played well during his final season with Oakland, was a backup in Chicago during the '12 season and played for the Browns last year.

It comes down to relationships and familiarity. Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson is familiar with Campbell and called plays with him at the helm for two years. More importantly, Jackson can rely on Campbell to push starting quarterback Andy Dalton, becoming a trusted medium between coach and veteran player.

Either way, the story is secondary in the grande scheme of things. Dalton is the starting quarterback that needs to not turn the ball over three times in the second half of a playoff game.