Dalton believes the Bengals improved in the offseason, the team's official site reports.
The Bengals offense certainly had an interesting offseason, losing stalwart linemen Andrew Whitworth and Kevin Zeitler in free agency, then adding WR John Ross (No. 9 overall) and RB Joe Mixon (No. 48) in the draft. Ross gives Dalton another deep threat alongside A.J. Green, but the team may need to rely on its short passing game to combat potential issues in protection. While Dalton has struggled to deal with pressure throughout his career, he may have an easier time now that he has a full stockpile of weapons. Mixon's prowess as a pass catcher should lessen the impact of any absence or limitations on the part of Giovani Bernard (knee), who's uncertain for Week 1 while rehabbing from a torn ACL. And while TE Tyler Eifert (back) was limited throughout the offseason and still carries significant injury risk, the team's depth at wide receiver should ensure Dalton has plenty of weapons even if his favorite red-zone target once again misses some games. Brandon LaFell and 2016 second-round selection Tyler Boyd will compete with Ross for the Nos. 2 and 3 receiver jobs.