Bengals coach Marvin Lewis rallied for his quarterback Andy Dalton on Tuesday, specifically saying he deserved a contract extension. Dalton has improved statistically over three NFL seasons but has gone 0 for 3 in playoff appearances over three consecutive years.
"It's something we hope we can do sooner than later because it's a big piece of our puzzle that is kind of holding out there nebulous right now," Lewis said of signing Dalton to an extension, per the official website. "So we'd like to get it done where it makes sense for us and makes sense for him and we can preserve a small portion of the football team to go forward."
Lewis said Dalton deserved a contract extension on the merits of his play and growth so far.
"What he's accomplished has been great ... We want to continue to grow with him," Lewis said. "He's got all the work ethic and the dynamics of why we drafted him to begin with, so that hasn't changed. All he's done is made good on everything we thought he would. One player doesn't lose a playoff game ... we feel like we have a great young player in Andy, we are hopeful we can get a deal done that works and Andy can put it behind him. ... He doesn’t have to go into the season and worry about this contract thing."