Carolina Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton had several impressive seasons early in his career but precious few have ever viewed him as a top-tier quarterback. Has that changed after just a single game here in 2024?
Hall of Famer Kurt Warner believes he’s headed in that direction.
After taking over for the benched Bryce Young in Week 3, Dalton connected on 26 of his 37 pass attempts for 319 yards and three touchdowns in a 36-22 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. For Warner, that was all he needed to see to declare Dalton a better quarterback than half of the league.
On @PatMcAfeeShow they asked @kurt13warner about the #Panthers moving to Andy Dalton ⬇️
Interestingly he essentially echoed what I’ve been saying since Sunday.
IMO Andy Dalton is a Top 20 starting QB in the NFL right now, although Kurt took it a step further 😳#KeepPounding pic.twitter.com/M9xwEk1TN2
— Keep Purring Podcast (Ben) (@KeepPurringBen) September 27, 2024
“He’s better than at least half of the quarterbacks starting in this league right now. He’s better than them,” Warner said during a Thursday appearance on the Pat McAfree Show. “He’s smart. He’s accurate. He knows where to go with the football. He makes the layups. He gets the ball out of his hands quickly because of the things I’m talking about, and that automatically helps your football team. Because, if nothing else, you’re not taking sacks.”
Warner admits that his admiration of Dalton isn’t a new phenomenon and dates back quite a ways.
“I have been an advocate of Andy Dalton and believed that he is one of the 32 best quarterbacks in the world for a long time. And, because he doesn’t have the physical gifts of some of these guys in the league, I think his career has gone a different route,” Warner said. “He’s found himself as a backup when he should be a starter in this league.”
Quarterback play is down league-wide and the argument could be made that Dalton is starting quality. That’s evident by the fact that, you know, he’s starting. But is he really better than half the league at nearly 37 years old? We’ll need more than a one-game sample size to determine that.
