Bengals 'are set' at quarterback, don't plan on adding veteran mentor for Joe Burrow
The Bengals released Andy Dalton last week, which has led to speculation that the team could bring in a veteran quarterback to help groom No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow.
Head coach Zac Taylor made it clear that the Bengals are comfortable with who they have on the roster.
"We're set," Taylor said Friday. "We've got three young guys we really look forward to investing a lot of reps in. We think they have bright futures. We feel really good about where we're at right now."
Ryan Finley and Jake Dolegala could compete to be Burrow's backup.
Finley, 25, started three games for the Bengals last season. He completed 47 percent of his passes and threw two touchdowns. Cincinnati took Finley in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Dolegala is an undrafted free agent out of out Central Connecticut State. The 23-year-old had some good moments in the preseason last year, but hasn't appeared in a regular season NFL game.
Some of the top free agent quarterbacks that will likely sign as backups somewhere include Blake Bortles and Joe Flacco. Mike Glennon signed with the Jaguars on Friday.
The Bengals believe Burrow is mature and intelligent enough to succeed without a veteran in the room.
It's an unusual offseason due to COVID-19. There might not be any in-person OTA's or minicamp. That will be a challenge for the entire team.
"I don't think you are ever going to replace the physical reps," Taylor said. "One of the things that you usually get to do in the offseason is you install and then you get to go on the field and physically do it and see how quickly the players can process that information in a 40-second play clock. You do miss that opportunity."
A.J. Green has been in contact with Burrow since the draft. The duo plans to get together, along with some of the other wide receivers, for in-person workouts this offseason.
