Andy Dalton started 14 games at quarterback for the Saints in 2022, but he knows that he may not be seeing anything close to that amount of playing time in 2023.
Dalton signed with the Panthers last week and he’s well aware that he’s just a temporary fill-in at the position for a team that traded up for the first overall pick in the draft in order to take a quarterback. That state of affairs didn’t keep Dalton from feeling that the Panthers opportunity “was at the top of the list” of options for him in free agency and that he feels he can make the team better in any role.
Dalton said he knows “how to ask the right questions to make sure the conversation’s had, to make sure everyone’s on the same page, to make sure it gets directed in the right place” because of how much he’s seen with four teams over 12 seasons.
“It comes with experience,” Dalton said, via Darin Gantt of the team’s website. “Obviously, I’ve played a ton of ball; there’s a lot that can come from that. I started as a rookie; a lot will come from that. There’s a lot I’ve done in my career, a ton of experience I can bring to help that room.”
Dalton’s role to start the season won’t be clear until the Panthers make their choice of the quarterbacks in this year’s draft class, but it sounds like he’ll be ready to roll in any role the Panthers have in mind come Week One.