Joe Burrow said Andy Dalton reached out to him to welcome him to Cincinnati

Andy Dalton has always been a high-character guy. Having earned the respect of Cincinnati, Dalton has continued to give with his wife, JJ, asthe coronavirus has started to impact the place he’s called home for almost a decade.

Continuing that trend, Dalton, when hearing the name of the player likely to replace him as the Bengals’ starting quarterback, didn’t shy away from introducing himself and welcoming the young Joe Burrow to Cincinnati.

“Yeah, he reached out and just welcomed me to the team. I had met him before all this coronavirus craziness started, out in California. I just went up and introduced myself. So we have met each other twice now I guess,” Burrow said on the RapSheet + Friends podcasted hosted by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Burrow also mentioned that he plans to be in a position to start right away.

While we still aren’t sure if Dalton will be on the team for Week 1, the message that his starting job is in jeopardy should be clear.

The No. 1 overall pick, Burrow is coming off arguably the greatest season in college football history, leading his LSU Tigers to a national championship while also being selected as the Heisman Trophy winner.

As for Dalton, the three-time Pro Bowler has had his fair share of good times in Cincinnati. While he wasn’t able to win a playoff game, Dalton did captain the team to the postseason five consecutive times to open up his career.

Dalton will carry a $17 million cap hit with him if cut, and the team has clearly yet to find a capable trade partner. Meanwhile teams like Indianapolis and New England gear up without a solid option, Dalton will continue to prepare for his tenth season with the team.