Ryan Finley – Syndication Server

Panthers QB Andy Dalton was asked if there’s awkwardness between himself and Bryce Young

Andy Dalton was asked if there’s any awkwardness between himself and Bryce Young since the Panthers’ switch at QB.

Taking someone’s job and still having to work alongside of them can’t be an entirely pleasant experience. Andy Dalton is in that scenario now, and spoke about it this afternoon.

Dalton, the new starting quarterback for the Carolina Panthers, chatted with reporters following Wednesday’s practice. The session saw the 14th-year veteran back with the first-stringers and second-year passer Bryce Young, the previous starter and last year’s No. 1 overall pick, in the No. 2 role with the scout team.

The 36-year-old was asked if there’s any awkwardness between himself and Young since the switch under center.

“Bryce has been awesome,” Dalton replied. “It’s a tough situation on everybody. Again, I have a different perspective of it ’cause I felt it on both sides. So Bryce and I’s friendship goes beyond just who’s the one out there. And it’s continued that way.”

As Dalton alluded to, he has been on the sour side of this scene before. That came in 2019, when the 0-8 Cincinnati Bengals moved off Dalton to start rookie Ryan Finley.

He talked about how that side felt.

“It’s hard, it’s tough,” Dalton said. “But you find little things that you can focus on to get better and you just continue to do what you can do. I think that was the biggest thing. You focus on what you can control and the rest will take care of itself.”

Sunday will mark Dalton’s 164th career start and his second as a Panther.

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Texans release QB Ryan Finley 2 months after trade with Bengals

The Houston Texans have released quarterback Ryan Finley after trading with the Cincinnati Bengals to acquire his playing rights.

The Houston Texans have released third-year quarterback Ryan Finley.

The news comes five days after the Texans signed QB Jeff Driskel to a one-year contract.

The Texans acquired Finley in March following a trade with the Cincinnati Bengals. With Finley no longer a part of the team, the Texans will likely enter the 2021 season with Tyrod Taylor, Davis Mills, and Driskel as their primary quarterbacks.

The Texans still have Deshaun Watson on their roster, but the chances of him returning to play in Houston are slim to none. According to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, Watson will not attend Texans’ voluntary OTAs and still wants out of Houston.

Finley came to Houston after a two-year stint in Cincinnati. After the Bengals drafted the NC State alumni during the 2019 NFL Draft (No. 104 overall), Finley has appeared in a total of eight career games in the NFL while throwing for 638 yards and three touchdowns, to go along with four interceptions.

Texans GM Nick Caserio says club is taking quarterback situation ‘one step at a time’

The Houston Texans have big questions at quarterback, and Nick Caserio believes they will be answered one step at a time.

Deshaun Watson is still on the roster for the Houston Texans, but the AFC South club is undergoing a great reset at quarterback.

Whether it is Watson’s trade request or his ongoing legal issues, the Texans won’t be able to count on the three-time Pro Bowler. Enter former Pro Bowler Tyrod Taylor, third-year Ryan Finley, and third-round rookie Davis Mills to compete for the starting quarterback job.

According to general manager Nick Caserio, who met with the media during the Texans’ 18th annual charity golf classic, the Texans are carefully evaluating each part of the process to find the immediate successor to Watson.

“We’ll take it one step at a time,” Caserio said. “We’re not going to put any unreasonable expectations on anybody. It’s kind of a waste of everybody’s time. It’s how do they improve? Can they make adjustments? What do they do one day? Okay, can they stack multiple days together?”

Caserio, who was the director of player personnel for the New England Patriots from 2008-20, knows that the Texans aren’t going to be close to perfect recovering from a 4-12 season and not having sufficient salary cap space nor top-100 draft picks to adequately address holes on the roster. The same frailties may also be present at quarterback in 2021.

Said Caserio: “Look, they’re going to have setbacks. You’re going to go out there, you’re going to have a bad play. Okay, how do you respond to that? Can you make the adjustment? Do you understand why that happened? Those are the types of things right now that are really important.”

Caserio also would not give any hints as to who has the inside days before rookie minicamp begins. When asked for his comments on Stanford coach David Shaw stating Mills was a steal in the 2021 NFL draft, Caserio offered little.

“I’m not a draft expert,” said Caserio. “I have a lot of respect for David, so you can talk to David about what he thinks. We’re just glad that we have the players that we have in the building.”

Texans rookie minicamp kicks off on May 14 and runs through May 15.

Typical backup QB, atypical situation: Ryan Finley joins a Texans team in chaos

Ryan Finely provides the Houston Texans a series of skills that are of a typical backup QB, but he is entering a strange situation.

Houston Texans’ general manager Nick Caserio made a small, debatably insignificant, move by trading a sixth-round selection to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for their seventh-round selection and quarterback Ryan Finley.

Finley represents your prototypical backup quarterback in the NFL. He was a fourth-round pick after making one All-ACC team at NC State and has started only four career games during his two years in the league. Finley stands 6-4 and adds another component to offenses with his legs, having run a 4.7 40 time. Finley has collected three passing touchdowns, four interceptions, and 638 passing yards in his eight career games, four of which he has started.

Great physical metrics? Check. Quality college career? Check. Unspectacular and limited NFL resume? Check. This is the prime backup material NFL teams usually bring into camp to serve as either a second or a third quarterback.

Previously, Finley may have been most well known for helping orchestrate Cincinnati’s beautiful upset of Pittsburgh last season during the Steelers’ epic collapse following an 11-0 start to the season. The quarterback played the perfect “game manager'”role and made sure the team didn’t beat themselves. Checkdowns were made, a few deep balls were completed, and Finley baffled the Steelers’ defense with his feet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQGrEvW4dDo

Needless to say, Houston fans are not itching to watch the man who could not beat Brandon Allen for the starting job. Allen may remembered for absolutely torching the Texans’ defense in Week 14. However, that doesn’t really indicate he’s a high quality starter. In fact, Texans’ fans most likely aren’t eager to watch newly signed “true” backup Tyrod Taylor either.

All eyes are on Deshaun Watson.

This is the offseason not even the most ambitious of fiction writers could have envisioned for the Texans and their franchise star. Watson and Caserio sit gridlocked between one party’s adamant desire never to play in Houston again and another’s not to trade one of the NFL’s most valuable asset. Not to mention a litany of sexual assault allegations have been brought fourth against Watson this past week, 14 to date.

It is very uncertain whether Watson will play in the NFL in 2021, much less whether that will be in a Texans’ uniform.

In the meantime, fans probably shouldn’t overthink the Ryan Finley situation. His acquisition is not indicative that Watson will be off the team, but more likely a signal of Caserio and head coach David Culley’s confidence in his ability to be a strong backup for this team if called upon. Finley showed major growth from 2019 to 2020 and appeared more than able to execute a game-plan, even against one of the NFL’s best defenses.

Worst case scenario Finley’s presence on the Texans’ represents a young player who will be able to execute similar concepts to Taylor and, hopefully, Watson. That is if Houston even opts to carry a third QB on the roster in 2021.

This is an insurance policy, not a rerouting for Houston’s plans under center. A trade back of roughly 20 spots for the Texans’ indicates no slight of hand from Caserio and company. Houston suddenly has nice, veteran depth and stability should the worst case scenarios manifest themselves in the 2021 campaign. Odds are Finley has a great chance to be more impactful than whoever Houston may have selected one round earlier on day three.

Texans trade for Bengals quarterback Ryan Finley

The Houston Texans have traded for Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Ryan Finely.

After weeks of offseason drama, the Houston Texans have finally involved themselves in a quarterback trade.

Of course, it wasn’t to trade Deshaun Watson or any of their rostered quarterbacks, but to acquire one.

According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the Houston Texans traded for Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Ryan Finley.

The former North Carolina State product’s claim to fame is his Week 15 start against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football, leading the Bengals to an improbable 27-17 victory over their AFC North rivals, who were playoff bound and eventually captured the division crown. Finley went 7-of-13 for 89 yards and a touchdown while rushing 10 times for 47 yards and a score.

On the Texans’ roster, they have Deshaun Watson and Tyrod Taylor. With Finley, Houston has their third quarterback, who would serve as the emergency QB on game day, if it ever came to that.

Baltimore Ravens vs. Cincinnati Bengals live stream, TV channel, start time, odds, predictions

The Cincinnati Bengals will host the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday in an AFC North division matchup from Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati.

The Bengals can play spoiler at home today if they can beat the Ravens, which would send that packing and not make the playoffs. The Bengals have been playing well over the last few weeks and could knock the Ravens off this afternoon. As for the Ravens, they absolutely have to win to advance to the playoffs, Lamar Jackson will need to have a day if they want to get past these pesky Bengals.

This will be a fun one, here is everything you need to know to stream the action this afternoon.

Baltimore Ravens vs. Cincinnati Bengals

When: Sunday, January 3
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
TV Channel: CBS
Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)
Live Stream: CBS All Access (stream for free)

Prediction: The Ravens should win this game but the Bengals have been tough the last few weeks and if they can play spoiler in their division, they will. I’m going to roll with the Bengals at the key number of 14 points, that is a lot in an NFL game.

Bet: Cincinnati Bengals +13.5

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NFL Football Odds and Betting Lines

NFL odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds last updated Sunday at 10:00 a.m. ET.

Baltimore Ravens -13.5 vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Over/Under: 43.5

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Texans vs. Bengals: Time, TV schedule and streaming info for Week 16

The Houston Texans take on the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday at 12:00 p.m. CT at NRG Stadium. Find out how to catch the game on a variety of media.

The Houston Texans face the Cincinnati Bengals for a battle between two teams out of the playoffs that are playing for respect and to build momentum going into the offseason.

For the Texans (4-10), every game is an audition for their new coach and general manager, who chairman and CEO Cal McNair is diligently searching to install. Not only do players want to provide good tape for the new Texans staff to look at, but they also want to have great tape just in case the new regime in Houston wants to do extensive churning of the roster.

Deshaun Watson will be the star of the game. The three-time Pro Bowler has played magnificently in 2020 despite the rest of the team not exactly meeting the occasion, save for left tackle Laremy Tunsil, who earned his second career Pro Bowl. If there are any GIF-able moments, or highlights for Sportscenter, they will no doubt come out of drives where Watson has the ball in his hands.

The Bengals aren’t going to lie down just because they are 3-10-1. Cincinnati is coming off a shocking upset of the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football. No doubt second-year coach Zac Taylor will want to build off of that positive energy and get his team to buy into his culture, because the turnaround is expected to happen in 2021 when Joe Burrow returns from his torn ACL.

To get ready for the Week 16 action here is important game day information so you can catch the game.

Follow the @TheTexansWire and @therealmarklane. Also let our friends at FuboTV help you watch the game.

Cincinnati Bengals at Houston Texans — Sunday, Dec. 27 at 12:00 p.m. CT

TV channel: FOX (Chris Meyers & Greg Jennings)

Radio: Sports Radio 610 (KILT-AM & 100.3 FM), Mega 101 (KLOL-FM) (Marc Vandermeer & Andre Ware)

Location: NRG Stadium

Forecast: Partly cloudy, 68 degrees, 11 mph wind (indoors)

Referee: Brad Rogers

Odds: Bengals -7.5

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Behind Enemy Lines: Previewing Week 16 with Bengals Wire

The Houston Texans take on Cincinnati in Week 16 at NRG Stadium. To get ready for the matchup, Bengals Wire helps provide a preview.

The Houston Texans take on the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday at 12:00 p.m. CT at NRG Stadium.

To get ready for the matchup, Chris Roling from the Bengals Wire helps preview the game.

Texans Wire: How safe is Zac Taylor’s job? Does he get any benefit of the doubt?

CR: Taylor’s job is likely safe after the upset of Pittsburgh on Monday night. That’s a little silly for a coach who is 5-24-1 over two seasons so far, but that just speaks to the extent of the problem the team has had against their bitter rivals over the years. His seat is probably still warm, but odds are we’ll just see massive change to the staff around him.

TW: How excited are fans for Joe Burrow’s second year? Texans fans couldn’t wait for 2018 when Deshaun Watson tore his ACL.

CR: Fans are thrilled, to say the least. He was arguably a generational quarterback prospect and he has the built-in hometown storyline going for him considering he’s from Athens, Ohio. He’s a local kid and it’s giving off vibes of Carson Palmer’s anticipated return from an ACL tear all those years ago. Feel free to add in the fact fans couldn’t really get to the stadium to see him this year, too.

TW: Did the Bengals even have a chance this year?

CR: They had a chance to win more games than they ended up winning, for sure. But the massive amount of roster turnover this past offseason still wasn’t enough as a new staff tries to implement new schemes after the organization had 16 straight years of the prior coaching staff. Some key miscues — like the brutal mishandling of the offensive line — didn’t help things. There was a chance, but we’re talking going from two wins to maybe five.

TW: How was D.J. Reader working out for you guys until he got hurt?

CR: Reader was exactly what Texans fans would expect, but on an increased snap count. The Bengals never got to get him going next to Geno Atkins due to an injury, but he was worth every penny of a contract that made him the highest-paid nose tackle in football.

TW: Why was Ryan Finley successful against the Steelers?

CR: The Steelers were largely shooting themselves in the foot. Finley had some nice improvisation on a few plays, but the Bengals stuck to the run and largely kept the ball out of his hands.

TW: Who are a couple Bengals Houston fans need to watch out for?

CR: Jessie Bates is arguably the NFL’s best safety right now and he’s always around the football thanks to elite range, so he’s got the ability to make game-changing plays. Carl Lawson also just had the game of his career against the Steelers, so he’s probably going to keep on that pace as he looks to earn a big-money contract in free agency.

TW: What is your prediction?

CR: Deshaun Watson isn’t a hindrance under center like Big Ben is right now. He’s an elite weapon who has diced up the Bengals in the past. Cincinnati also won’t get the benefit of the Texans simply not looking like they want to play at all like they did against the Steelers. Texans, 24-17.

Texans DE J.J. Watt impressed with Bengals QB Ryan Finley against the Steelers

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt has studied Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Ryan Finley, and respects what he brings under center for Cincy.

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt has seen plenty of film on Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Ryan Finley this week.

After all, Finley did play against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have both of Watt’s brothers, on Monday Night Football, leading Cincinnati to a 27-17 win at Paul Brown Stadium.

From what Watt saw of the former 2019 fourth-round quarterback from North Carolina State, he is impressed with Finley.

“I watched the game live on Monday night with my brothers obviously,” Watt said. “He did a very good job going against a very tough defense. Didn’t necessarily pass the ball a whole lot.”

Finley had 13 passes, completing seven of them for 89 yards and a touchdown. In the run game, the 6-4, 207-pound signal caller carried 10 times for 47 yards and a touchdown.

“He did a good job,” said Watt. “He did some good things in the running game as well. The touchdown run that he had, and some of the zone read stuff they’ve done.”

What Finley and the Bengals will bring into NRG Stadium Sunday at 12:00 p.m. CT is a boatload of confidence after dropping the Steelers to 11-3 on the season.

“To get a win against a team like that, it was very good for them and they’re playing tough football,” said Watt. “They played a great game so we’re looking forward to the opportunity and a challenge.”

Texans’ Romeo Crennel expects to face a fired up Bengals team in Week 16

Houston Texans interim coach Romeo Crennel expects the Cincinnati Bengals to bring energy when they arrive at NRG Stadium in Week 16.

The Houston Texans are coming off another disappointing goal-line loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Their Week 16 opponents, the Cincinnati Bengals, are flying high after vanquishing the 11-2 Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football at Paul Brown Stadium.

Texans interim coach Romeo Crennel knows the energy the Bengals are bringing into NRG Stadium Sunday at 12:00 p.m. CT will be a challenge.

“The biggest challenge initially is that the energy and the way they played against the Steelers,” Crennel said. “They were extremely fired up for the game Monday night and they played really good.”

The Bengals held forth beat the Steelers 27-17, even leading as much as 24-10 over Pittsburgh with 6:00 to go in the fourth quarter.

“They played good defense,” said Crennel. “Offensively, they moved the ball. They were able to run it. They were able to throw it. The quarterback was able to make plays with his feet as well as with his arm. They’ve got a couple receivers with speed and size. Offensive line held them out a little bit. The defense was aggressive. They had a good game plan.”

Second-year quarterback Ryan Finley went 7-of-13 for 89 yards and a touchdown while also rushing 10 times for 47 yards and a touchdown. Running back Giovani Bernard provided 25 carries for 83 yards and a touchdown.

Said Crennel: “They took away the things that Pittsburgh liked to do in the passing game. Overall, it was a really good game for them. I think that coming out of that game, they will be on a high and they will be excited about coming in here to play.”

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