Bengals’ next step may be benching Andy Dalton

Andy Dalton has 394 yards, no touchdowns, and four interceptions over the Bengals’ first two games. Cincinnati parted ways with its offensive coordinator, Ken Zampese, on Friday, and benching Dalton may be the team’s next step, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.

That would pave the way for AJ McCarron to take over. It’s hard to imagine anyone playing much worse than Dalton has. McCarron doesn’t have a ton of starting experience, but he did start three regular season games and a playoff game for Cincinnati at the end of the 2015 season while Dalton was injured.

If the Bengals do decide to sit Dalton and move ahead with McCarron, it still won’t be an easy road. The Bengals offensive line has been terrible after losing Andrew Whitworth and Kevin Zeitler to free agency this offseason. They’re not getting much help from the run game, either, which is ranked 18th in the league and averaging 79.5 yards per game.

There is a quarterback just sitting at home with plenty of starting experience who might be able to help turn things around in Cincinnati. He’s got the mobility to stay upright even behind an iffy line. But there’s no word on whether or not the Bengals would consider signing Colin Kaepernick.

Cincinnati is sitting at 0-2, and Marvin Lewis’ seat is getting warmer. Making Zampese the scapegoat isn’t going to suffice if the offense keeps playing so poorly. The Bengals may not have a choice but to bench Dalton.