Andy Dalton emerged Friday morning from the centerpiece of the Bengals 2018 season, the training room, and confirmed the torn ligament in his throwing thumb that was repaired Tuesday by Cincinnati hand specialist Peter Stern is expected to be healed by the time off-season workouts begin April.
Dalton, wearing a Manchester City baseball hat and a heavily-wrapped right hand, assured that his back-up, Jeff Driskel, is going to be prepared for his first NFL start Sunday (1 p.m.-Cincinnati's Channel 12, **order tickets**) against Denver at Paul Brown Stadium.
"It sucks I'm not playing, but I'm happy for him," Dalton said. "He works hard and puts in the time."
Dalton isn't sure where he'll be Sunday. When he broke his thumb three years ago he was on the sideline with AJ McCarron. But since it was broken, it was protected by a cast.
"There's no cast now. I don't know where they'll put me," Dalton said.
