Was benching Andy Dalton the right call for Bengals?

The Cincinnati Bengals have officially benched Andy Dalton.

With Dalton out, the Bengals will be bringing in Ryan Finley, a rookie quarterback that the Bengals selected in the fourth round. Finley was a three-year starter at NC State.

This was a long time coming, but fans should still be skeptical.

In Dalton’s eight starts, he dropped back 338 times which is on pace for 676. He has never even hit 600+ attempts in a season. He’s been used more than ever before, and the results haven't been pretty.

Dalton has put up 2,252 yards and has a below-average 60.4% completion rate. Tack on just nine touchdowns and eight interceptions, and it’s clear to see it was time for a change.

However, the Bengals are at a point where they might as well try anything to get this offense flowing. But, those that believes benching Dalton is the solution obviously feel he was the issue.

The offensive line is the issue. That’s just one of many issues though.

That’s not to say Finley shouldn’t be given a shot as a starter. Dalton’s back-to-back interceptions two weeks ago and his poor play against the Rams forced the Bengals’ hand.

It’s just difficult to assume Finley will have much more success under center with such a lacking offensive line. Yet, at the same time, Finley did thrive in the preseason and has likely been giving his all during practice.

That being said, being the team’s starting quarterback since 2011, are you in favor of this move?

It’ll be interesting to see how this move changes the Bengals offense. It’ll also be interesting to see if head coach Zac Taylor moves back to Dalton if Finley struggles, something we saw with the Redskins and the quarterback duo of Keenum and Haskins.

For now, let’s just sit back and pray for the best.