Joe Burrow has been studying Cincinnati’s offense for weeks and will be ready to challenge Andy Dalton for the Bengals’ starting quarterback job “right away,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Saturday.
The presumptive No. 1 overall pick for months, Burrow got a jump start on the playbook long before commissioner Roger Goodell called his name Thursday night.
Dalton, 32, has started 133 of the Bengals’ 144 regular season games over the past nine seasons. The three-time Pro Bowl selection is due to earn $17.7 million in 2020, the final season of a six-year contract extension he signed in August 2014.
Cincinnati has been unable to find a trade partner for Dalton, who ranks first in franchise history in touchdown passes (204) and second in passing yards (31,594).
If Dalton is still on the roster whenever training camp takes place, he will face significant competition from the 23-year-old Heisman Trophy winner from LSU, Schefter’s report indicates.