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Recent move from Bengals suggests Joe Burrow will be Day 1 starter for Cincinnati

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

The starting job in Cincinnati appears to be Joe Burrow’s to lose. After the Bengals selected the former LSU quarterback with the No. 1 overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, the organization made another big decision.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Bengals have released Andy Dalton, the previous starter in Cincinnati. It now appears that Burrow is in the catbird seat to take the No. 1 spot on the depth chart at the position.

Dalton has been in Cincinnati for nine seasons. He has thrown for 31,594 yards and 204 touchdowns while posting a career completion rate of 62 percent. He’s also accounted for 22 rushing touchdowns in his career.

Burrow was expected to challenge for the starting job in Cincinnati immediately, but now it seems clear that the organization is ready to turn to the next chapter. It’s not a bad time to do so, as the Bengals have not had a winning season since 2015 and are coming off a 2-14 campaign.

Last season, Burrow authored one of the greatest seasons in college football history, leading LSU to a perfect 15-0 record, an SEC title and a national championship. He was awarded the Heisman Trophy after throwing for 5,671 yards and 60 touchdowns while completing a blistering 76.3 percent of his passes.

After a big year at LSU, it appears Burrow will be a Week 1 starter in the NFL.

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB