Andy Dalton emphasizes his role isn’t to make a QB competition

Andy Dalton made it clear Thursday it’s not his intention to make the starting quarterback job a competition between he and Bryce Young, but rather help the team.

“My goal is to win,” Dalton said. “Especially here, this is Bryce’s thing. I’m not here to make this a competition, make it some thing. I’m here to help the team.”

Dalton, the 12-year veteran, will get the start under center in the Carolina Panthers’ (0-2) Week 3 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks (1-1) Sunday in place of Young, who suffered an ankle injury in the 20-17 Week 2 defeat to the New Orleans Saints (2-0).

Owning a record of 83-77-2 as a starter with three Pro Bowl appearances to his name, Dalton isn’t looking to prove anything to anyone.

Andy Dalton gearing up for first Panthers start

“I’ve played everywhere I’ve been. And I’ve had a significant amount of playing time everywhere,” Dalton said, via the team’s website. “I had the nine years in Cincinnati, when Dak [Prescott] got hurt [in Dallas in 2020], I got to play a majority of that season as well. Even in Chicago [in 2021], I had some, and then last year too. So, I wouldn’t say it’s a validation.

“I’m not trying to convince anybody with what I can do. I think for me, once I got here and got to be around the staff and got to be around these players, my whole goal was just to be me and to show them how I operate, how I do things, and, people here have been very receptive of what I’ve been able to do. And then also taking on the role of helping out Bryce and making sure that we can get him up to speed on everything that he needs to do and needs to know from, you know, all the different aspects of the game.

“So, validation, I wouldn’t say that because I know what I’m capable of.”

Andy Dalton excited for opportunity to play with Bryce Young sidelined

As Dalton mentioned, stepping in to replace an injured starter is nothing new for him. Just last season with the New Orleans Saints, Dalton replaced the injured Jameis Winston early in the season, and started 14 games. He threw for 2,871 yards with 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions on 66.7% passing.

3-1 in his career against the Seahawks, Dalton will look to lead the Panthers to their first victory of the season. Perhaps Dalton’s services will only be needed for one week, but regardless, the 35-year-old is soaking it all in.

“This week been more fun for me, obviously, you know?” Dalton said. “You know, it’s always nice because I’ve had a certain way of operating like my whole career. And I think when you go from starting to being the backup, that’s one of the things that you miss. The scout team is one thing. You’re looking at a card, and you’re running the other team’s offense. But when you get a chance to kind of take ownership of what you’re doing and to know how you want it to look and how you want it to feel, and you actually get to execute it…

“I mean, that’s what makes football fun.”