The first pick in the 2023 NFL Draft is expected to be the Carolina Panthers starting quarterback this season. Could veteran Andy Dalton push Bryce Young?
It has been quite a dry spell for a franchise that reached Super Bowl 50 in 2015 and managed only one winning season and playoff campaign since.
Of course, hope springs eternal for the Carolina Panthers who own a dismal 29-53 combined record the past five seasons and haven't been to the playoffs since. That 2015 season also marks the last time the club won the NFC South, a division that featured four teams each with a losing record in 2022.
Panthers General Manager Scott Fitterer has had quite the aggressive offseason. There's a new head coach in Frank Reich and plenty of new faces on offense in running back Miles Sanders, tight end Hayden Hurst and wide receivers D.J. Chark and Adam Thielen.
Fitterer also signed veteran quarterback Andy Dalton, who had spent 2022 with the New Orleans Saints. The cherry on the sundae was the decision to deal for the first overall pick in this year's draft and he swung a deal with the Chicago Bears. The choice would be 2021 Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young, who threw for a combined 8,200 yards and 79 scores his final two seasons with the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Could Andy Dalton make Bryce Young sweat for his starting QB job?
Young appears to have the starting job locked up for Reich's club. So, what about a 12-year veteran who has thrown for 38,150 yards and 244 touchdowns for four different teams?
"I view myself as a starter in this league," said Dalton in an interview with Mac Engel of the Fort-Worth Star Telegram. I don't think there are 32 guys better than me. But this is the situation I am in, and I understand that. As soon as I don't think I'm one of the best 32, or a little lower, I'll be watching football on TV.
"I am in a really, really good situation here. Frank Reich played 'til he was 38. He was a career backup. He understands the continuity you want in a (quarterback) room. Josh McCown played until he was 40. Josh was my friend for the last 10 years, and now he's my (quarterback) coach."
It is not only a good situation for Dalton, but also the Panthers. That's a lot of experience in the corner of Young. Now it will be interesting to see if the rookie can become the first quarterback to start every game for Carolina since Cam Newton in 2017. That was the last year the Panthers reached the playoffs.
