Report: Bears have spoken to Bengals about Andy Dalton trade

[Who Dey]

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The potential destinations for this year’s free agent quarterbacks have been a popular topic of conversation this offseason, but there’s also the possibility of some movement on the trade front.

With the Bengals expected to pick a quarterback first overall, Andy Dalton is at the top of the list of players that could be dealt this offseason. Paul Dehner of TheAthletic.com reports that the Bears have spoken to the team about a deal.

Adding an alternative to Mitch Trubisky in the quarterback room makes the same sense for Chicago that signing Ryan Tannehill made for the Titans last year. Tannehill signed a one-year deal and Dalton only has one year left on his deal, so there wouldn’t be any commitment in the event Trubisky progresses or the Bears decide to go in an entirely different direction in 2021.

The Bears hired former Bengals offensive coordinator Bill Lazor to fill the same job on Matt Nagy’s staff, so Chicago would provide some familiarity for Dalton. That could be a factor given the Bengals’ stated plan to include Dalton in any trade discussions.

Nothing in the report suggests things have progressed to that point and Dalton may be one of many dominoes that wait to fall into place until Tom Brady makes his call about the 2020 season.