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David Newton, ESPN Staff Writer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Andy Dalton’s smile said it all.
On a day when Carolina Panthers coach Dave Canales was stoic instead of his usual upbeat, cheerful self while announcing his decision to bench starting quarterback Bryce Young for Dalton, the veteran entered the locker room with a huge smile that beamed through his signature red mustache and beard that earned him the nickname the “Red Rifle.”
Yes, it was a bad day for Young, who according to a source with knowledge of the situation, was blindsided by Canales’ decision, which came less than 24 hours after the first-year coach said the 2023 No. 1 overall draft pick would remain the starter for Sunday’s game at the Las Vegas Raiders (4:05 p.m. ET, CBS).
But Dalton, a second-round pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2011, was thrilled to have the chance to start and help rescue a franchise that lost its first two games by a combined 73-13 margin and has had had six straight losing seasons.
“When I came here, I wasn’t sure if I was going to get another opportunity to start again,” said Dalton, who signed a two-year, $10 million deal during the 2023 offseason to back up Young. “So I’m really looking forward to it. I’m excited about what’s ahead.
“It’s a tough situation. I’ve been on both sides of it, and it’s hard. It’s hard on everybody. But for me, I’m looking forward to it.”
The 36-year-old Dalton’s positive energy was something the Panthers needed after two weeks of a listless offense. Carolina’s 0.70 offensive efficiency rating is the lowest ever for the first two games of a season since that metric was first tracked in 2006.
Young has been a big reason why. His 8.9 Total QBR is the third worst over a two-game stretch since ESPN began tracking it 2011.
Dalton was empathetic toward Young and his situation because he has had bad performances, too. Dalton actually had a two-game stretch to open the 2017 season with the Bengals that was worse (7.4 QBR), but he quickly reminded that neither of those was his worst game.
“I would say my worst game ever was a Thursday night game in 2014 against the Cleveland Browns,” Dalton recalled of his 3.1 QBR that night and how he bounced back to win his next two starts.
So while he’s happy for this opportunity, Dalton understands the ups and downs of playing quarterback in the NFL. Young has experienced only downs, going 2-16 as the starter.
“Sometimes you kind of have to be cautious with certain things,” said Dalton, explaining that his demeanor was toned down around Young when the two talked after the switch. “But at the end of the day, I’m going to be myself.
“I’m going to be who I am, and that’s just how it’s going to go.”
Dalton noted that he did everything he could to help Young develop “from the moment I got here.”
“I was giving my input on certain things I was able to see from my point of view, and kind of share that,” he said. “But moving forward, it’s like I get a different opportunity to affect the game.”
Dalton’s career started much differently than Young’s. He was the 35th overall pick in 2011 by a Bengals team coming off a 4-12 record. He went 9-7 as a rookie and won 10 or more games in each of the next four seasons.
Dalton has a record of 83-78-2 during his 13-year career with the Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints and Panthers. He has 246 touchdowns and a career passer rating of 87.9.
In his only start for the Panthers (Week 3 of 2023), he passed 58 times for 361 yards and two touchdowns in a 37-27 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
When it comes to beginning a season as a backup before replacing the starter, Dalton hasn’t been all that successful. He went 4-5 in 2020 with the Cowboys, 6-8 in 2022 with the Saints and 0-1 last year with the Panthers.
In 2021, he started the first two games for the Bears before a knee injury sidelined him. He was replaced by rookie Justin Fields, who went 2-8 as the starter before Dalton returned to go 2-2 with a 30 QBR.
The big knock on Dalton’s legacy has always been his lack of success in playoff games (0-4 with the Bengals) and on “Monday Night Football” (2-8, second worst among QBs with at least 10 starts).
The Panthers haven’t had a winning record since 2017 (11-5), so they aren’t thinking of the playoffs. They’re just looking for a spark to energize the offense and give a fan base that spent much of Sunday booing Young some hope.
On Monday, Canales didn’t say much specifically about how Dalton would help, beyond saying he made the change because it was best for the team.
But he had to like that Dalton felt the Panthers are “close in a lot of areas.”
“We haven’t been able to have the success that we want,” Dalton said. “We haven’t been able to sustain things. There’s things that have hurt us. We haven’t given ourselves a chance.
“That’s the biggest thing. And moving forward, hopefully we can really put it together and see what we can be.”
Dalton’s optimism may have been as much a factor in Canales’ decision to make the switch as his experience. And Canales has experience helping veterans such as Baker Mayfield (Tampa Bay), Geno Smith (Seattle) and Russell Wilson (Seattle) turn their careers around.
Each of them had a career-best passing season under his tutelage.
So as bad as Dalton feels for Young, he’s thrilled for himself.
“When he told me, it’s like one of those deals, like, ‘OK, this is one thing I’ve been praying for, another opportunity,”’ Dalton said of getting the news from Canales. “I’ve got it.”