Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin suggested Dalton (thumb) will enter 2019 as the team's starting quarterback, Fletcher Page of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports. "We're very comfortable with Andy," Tobin said. "We think he's got a number of years left. We feel like we can win with him. But with any position group, we don't just throw away the whole draft board at a group just because we're satisfied with who we have."
An overhaul of the coaching staff has led to rumors of a possible change under center, but it's probably an easy decision to keep Dalton given that he has two seasons remaining on a team-friendly contract. This doesn't mean the Bengals won't explore options for a long-term upgrade, but it does mean there's an excellent chance Dalton will get the Week 1 start in 2019. Of course, he may not feel so great about the contract situation, with no guaranteed money remaining on his deal and a 2019 cap hit ($16.2 million) that ranks dead last among starting quarterbacks that aren't on a rookie contract (per overthecap.com). Working his way back from late-November thumb surgery, Dalton should have plenty of time to return to full strength before the Bengals start their offseason program in April under new head coach Zac Taylor.