Bengals in NFL’s bottom tier of backup quarterbacks

One under-the-radar storyline for the 2019 Bengals is the situation at quarterback.

No, there’s nothing to discuss about Andy Dalton or his status with the team in 2019, though that could change in 2020 when he’s in the final year of his contract.

Instead, the situation to watch this year is who the backup quarterback will be. The incumbent Jeff Driskel figures to have a slight lead going into the summer.

However, the Bengals did trade up to select Ryan Finley in the fourth round of this year’s NFL Draft, so you would figure he’s likely to make the 53-man roster.

Even so, SB Nation expects Driskel to be the backup this year, but that’s not necessarily a good thing. In their backup quarterback tiers story, the Bengals were in the bottom tier with the likes of the Cowboys (Cooper Rush), Packers (DeShone Kizer), Vikings (Sean Mannion), Lions (Connor Cook) and Seahawks (Paxton Lynch).

Not great company to be in, but it’s hard to argue either. Driskel had some flashes, but he ultimately struggled to get the offense going. Cincinnati scored less than 20 points three times over the final five games and averaged 18.4 points per game in starts made by Driskel.

Hopefully, Zac Taylor is able to develop Driskel and/or Finley into a serviceable backup that can keep this offense respectable if Dalton goes down.