The new Red-Headed wonder kid in Cincy: Ryan Finley

Image Credit: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

Tuesday afternoon, Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor announced former fourth-round pick Ryan Finley, will start following the bye week when they face the Baltimore Ravens.

Despite quarterback Andy Dalton playing quality football (considering the situation), Taylor decided to give the node to former 104th overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft to take the reins at quarterback. In an interview, Taylor said, “Everybody else plays that’s on our roster; that’s the only position [quarterback] really where there's a guy sitting on the bench, and you don’t completely know what you have until you see it and so that’s where we are at right now.”

Finley, coming into the draft had hype surrounding him after a decent Senior Bowl outing. In limited action, he threw for 83 yards on 7/11 pass completions. He wasn’t the game's MVP, but it was enough for scouts to realize Finley’s potential on the field. Good stature in the pocket, standing at 6’3 and, is very smart with the ball. Also, he has dual-threat quarterback abilities. The combine backed that up after he ran an unofficial 4.73 40-yard-dash.

Then in day three of the NFL draft, the Bengals took a shot at another red-headed quarterback to potentially lead the way, post the Dalton era. If Finley proves to be the future of the Bengals organization over the next nine weeks, instead of acquiring another quarterback in the draft they can focus elsewhere.

Questions are circulating about his ability to play against ‘next level talent’ since his college career against ranked opponents was sub-par at best. Just for some background, in the ACC, North Carolina State must play the Clemson Tigers at least once a year. In Finley’s three years against the Tigers, his averages are just 242 passing Y/G (Yards per Game) throwing around 41 passes a game, completing only 58.1% of his throws. His touchdown to interception ratio was 3-6 so to say he struggled... might just be an understatement.

Still, anything can happen. Finley could prove to be the Bengals missing piece to the puzzle. If all goes well, he plays well enough for GM Michael Brown to pass on a quarterback and instead builds around him. The Bengals might’ve found the real ‘Read-head wonder kid’ this time.

- Alex Fortuna