Ryan Finley (American football)


Ryan Finley is an American football quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. He played college football at NC State, and was drafted by the Bengals in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

Early years

Finley attended Paradise Valley High School in Phoenix, Arizona. As a senior he passed for 3,442 yards with 35 touchdowns. He committed to Boise State University to play college football.

College career

After redshirting his first year at Boise State in 2013, Finley played in five games in 2014, completing 12 of 27 passes for 161 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He was named the starting quarterback for Boise State his redshirt sophomore year in 2015. He played in three games before suffering a season-ending ankle injury. In the three games, Finley completed 46 of 70 passes for 455 yards, one touchdown, and four interceptions.
After the season he transferred to NC State University. In his first season at NC State, he completed 243 of 402 passes for 3,059 yards, 18 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
In Finley's redshirt junior year, he completed 312 of 479 passes for 3,518 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions. He also rushed 69 times for 194 yards and 3 touchdowns and caught 2 passes for 18 yards. He was also named to the Academic All-ACC team for earning a 3.889 GPA.

College statistics

Professional career

Finley was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. After opening the season as the backup quarterback to Andy Dalton, Finley was named the starter on October 29, 2019. Finley made his first start in Week 10 against the Baltimore Ravens. In the game, Finley threw for 167 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in the 49–13 loss.
In week 12 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Finley threw for 192 yards and a touchdown and lost two fumbles in the 16–10 loss. On the next day, Finley was benched for Dalton after going 0–3 in his three starts.