Jake Dolegala takes advantage of a rare opportunity

The Bengals’ undrafted rookie quarterback is turned heads in practice after getting some snaps on Andy Dalton’s day off.

The Bengals signed Central Connecticut State quarterback Jake Dolegala after he went undrafted this year, and he has all the chips stacked against him.

As a quarterback from a small school who was undrafted and going to a team with an established starter, Dolegala has an uphill battle ahead of him this offseason. This means he has to take advantage of every opportunity he can get his hands on.

One such opportunity presented itself when Zac Taylor gave the starters the day off in practice on Thursday, according to the team’s website.

Dolegala, who had taken one snap during practice up until this point, attempted 17 passes during Thursday’s practice.

“Coach let me know this morning I’d be getting some work and it was great to get some reps,” Dolegala said. “I thought I did well. There are things I can do better, of course, procedurally and protection-wise. But as a whole it was a positive day.”

Dolegala went 12 for 17, with three touchdowns in what was his first full practice since November. “Positive,” is indeed an accurate description

“He threw well today. It was good to give Andy (Dalton) and Jeff (Driskel) a break and see these other guys,” said quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt. “He was accurate. He threw the ball well for not having many reps. It was good to see from a young guy.”

Coming from a guy who is projected to be a practice squad player, this will be an interesting development to watch during training camp. Given the struggles that Ryan Finley has endured so far this offseason, it will be fun to see how the quarterback room shakes out before the season starts.

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