Bengals bench Dalton, will start Finley after bye

The Cincinnati Bengals are benching quarterback Andy Dalton for rookie Ryan Finley, the team confirmed Tuesday.

Finley will receive his first career start in Week 10 against the Baltimore Ravens following Cincinnati's Week 9 bye.

Dalton has started all but eight games since the Bengals drafted him No. 35 overall in 2011. He's tied for the franchise lead in passing touchdowns and ranks second in career passing yards.

The 32-year-old was never among the NFL's elite quarterbacks, but his on-field play slowly regressed in each of the last three seasons. He led Cincinnati to five straight playoff appearances from 2011-15 but failed to win a single playoff game.

Dalton has completed 60% of his passes for nine touchdowns and eight interceptions across eight starts for the 0-8 Bengals this year.

Finley, meanwhile, will likely be the team's starter for the rest of the season. He was selected in the fourth round of the 2019 draft after a productive career at NC State.