Andy Dalton taking time in recovery, not throwing yet

Andy Dalton may be ready to pass, but he's holding off for now. With plenty of time to get back into a rhythm, theBengals quarterback is waiting until his thumb completely recovers from a December thumb fracture.

Bengals.com's Geoff Hobson had this to say in regards to Dalton's injury:

If he wanted to, Andy Dalton says he can throw but he's going to hold off for the time being.

"Not throwing yet because we are being very conservative with it," Dalton told Hobson in a text this week. "I feel like I can throw but no reason to push anything right now. I have plenty of time now to get 100 percent."

Hobson also mentioned Dalton may have not even been ready to play if the Bengals had made the Super Bowl, and playing prior to the Super Bowl would have been a "dicey call".

With plenty of offseason time in front of him, Dalton should be back on the field throwing passes in time for the players' first opportunity to report to the stadium in mid-April.

Dalton has shown signs of improvement as a passer on a yearly basis. Making the decision to take it slow in the recovery process shouldn't have any impact on whether or not he improves in 2016; in fact, there's nothing to suggest he won't be even better in 2016 than 2015. Hobson also mentioned Dalton intends to spend time learning from Tom House again this offseason, something that's now become routine for the Bengals quarterback.

In resting his thumb, Dalton will also have more time to enjoy his offseason and spend time with his family. But today, as the Dalton family was about to embark on a vacation, it didn't get off to a great start, as they lost two suitcases on their way to the airport for a vacation to Mexico. Hopefully #bagsearch2016 doesn't last long; losing luggage is a dreadfully painful process.