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          Bengals QB Andy Dalton calls timing of benching 'unfortunate'

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          Del Rio: Bengals should've traded Dalton (0:58)

          Jack Del Rio doesn't agree with the Bengals' decision to bench Andy Dalton hours before the trade deadline, saying they should've traded him instead. (0:58)

          • Ben Baby, ESPN Staff WriterOct 30, 2019, 12:21 PM ET
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              Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN's NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor's degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).
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          CINCINNATI -- Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton said the timing of the team's decision to bench him hours before the trade deadline was an "unfortunate thing."

          In his first comments since the Bengals announced the nine-year veteran was going to be replaced as the team's starter, Dalton said the news delivered just before Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET deadline limited his ability to explore potential options to stay on the field this season. Two days after the Bengals lost to the Rams in London and fell to 0-8, coach Zac Taylor informed Dalton of the decision to go with rookie Ryan Finley as the team's starter.

          "It happened three hours before the trade deadline," Dalton said Wednesday. "I wish they would have, at least if he was thinking about it, at least try to let me see if I could end up somewhere or at least see if there was interest in possibly getting traded.

          "At that point, the way it was all handled, there wasn't enough time to even have that happen."

          Dalton has been Cincinnati's starter since the team drafted him in the second round of the 2011 draft. The team didn't make any moves ahead of the deadline. Taylor, the first-year coach and spokesperson for the front office, declined to address any trade speculation during Tuesday's news conference.

          Dalton said after he learned of his new place on Cincinnati's depth chart, his agent was "trying to figure out what we could do in those last remaining couple of hours before the trade deadline." As of Wednesday afternoon, Dalton said he hadn't spoken to Duke Tobin, the Bengals' director of player personnel, regarding the situation.

          Dalton is second in franchise history in passing yards and tied for the lead in touchdowns thrown. This season, Dalton has completed 60.4% of his passes for 2,252 yards, nine touchdowns and eight interceptions.

          When asked whether he'd push for a move at the end of the season, Dalton said he's just focused on this season and helping Finley's development in any way possible.

          "Obviously there's a lot to come in the next eight weeks and beyond after this year," he said. "I want to have an opportunity to play. I want to have an opportunity to be somewhere where I'm wanted.

          "If that's here, great. If it's not, we'll see. Right now, that's not my focus. My focus is just playing my role on this team."