CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Andy Dalton had just picked up his kids from school Tuesday and was on his way home to a tennis lesson and a baseball game.
In addition to his wife and three children, Dalton also had his dog in the Tesla. And then, a few miles from his family’s home in south Charlotte, the vehicle Dalton was driving collided with another vehicle and everything about the Carolina Panthers’ quarterback situation changed.
Or not.
Before we get into the football impact of Tuesday’s events, let us first say this: Dalton’s family and the other driver were extremely fortunate that the worst thing to come from the two-vehicle collision was the sprained thumb on Dalton’s throwing hand.
“It was scary,” Dalton said. “First time (his children) have experienced something like this. They were quite shocked by it. Everyone is healthy, and that was the main thing we were grateful for.”
Panthers coach Dave Canales, quarterback Bryce Young and Dalton’s teammates all felt the same when they heard that the 36-year-old Dalton, nicknamed the “Red Rifle,” had been in an accident.
“I think everyone has to be very sensitive to what’s going on,” veteran tight end Jordan Matthews said. ‘It wasn’t just Andy in that car. It was Andy, his wife, his children. The dog was with him.”
The collision was so severe that the airbags in both vehicles deployed. And after caring for his family with the help of some strangers and neighbors walking along Sardis Road, Dalton’s thumb “realized pretty quickly that something was going on.”
He contacted the team and underwent medical tests. An MRI confirmed the sprain. “I’m grateful it is what it is,” Dalton said, “because it could have been worse.”
Andy Dalton says the QB switch has brought him and Bryce Young closer. pic.twitter.com/mVtHTGAy8Z
— Joe Person (@josephperson) October 23, 2024
Then the football decisions started to be made. Canales called Young Tuesday night so he could prepare for Sunday’s game in Denver — five weeks after Canales informed Young he was benched as last year’s No. 1 pick. Dalton also called Young.
Most thought the Panthers (1-6) would return to Young at some point this season, either due to mounting losses and frustrations or an injury to Dalton. But no one could have imagined that it would turn out this way.
‘It’s an absolute shame. I definitely didn’t think picking up the kids from school and going home would happen. Then go to tennis lessons and a baseball game,” Dalton said. “But absolutely crazy that it happened.”
The Panthers hope Dalton’s thumb — which Canales described as a “bad sprain” — heals quickly enough so he can be the No. 2 quarterback against the Broncos on Sunday. The only other QB on the roster is undrafted rookie Jack Plummer.
Dalton’s injury comes at a time when the Panthers were just starting to get some players back. Edge rusher DJ Wonnum practiced Wednesday for the first time since signing with the team in free agency, while receiver Adam Thielen, offensive tackle Taylor Moton, pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney, linebacker Josey Jewell and safety Jordan Fuller all resumed practice after missing multiple games missed.
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It’s been one of those seasons for Canales, the longtime Seattle Seahawks assistant, who admits he’s never experienced a year like his first in Charlotte.
“I can honestly say, no, I didn’t do that,” he said. “I just know that tough times create perseverance. Perseverance builds character. I look around at the staff. I look around at our guys and I see a group of people that are just getting back to work and really just chasing these moments, these opportunities that we have.
No one has a better chance than Young, who struggled through a tough rookie season and then somehow looked worse in the first two games of this year despite improvements along the offensive line and the addition of a few additional playmakers .
Canales said he was excited to see Young get another chance, but the so-called QB whisperer had shown no interest in reinstalling him as the starter even as the Panthers lost four in a row and Dalton started throwing more interceptions — a no. -No for a coach who values “the ball”.
But now Canales must return to Young for at least one game, after which Canales will evaluate the quarterback position on a week-by-week basis.
“He has been an absolute rascal throughout this entire process. He’s engaged, involved in what we do. So he is excited about this opportunity,” Canales said. “I’m glad he gets another chance to just go in and play some football.”
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If Young doesn’t do enough against the Broncos — a top-3 defense and a top-5 passing defense — to earn a fresh start with the Panthers, he might catch the eye of another team before the Nov. 5 trade deadline Pull. But that’s a possibility Young would never publicly acknowledge.
“I try to work every day to get better and I always want to grow. Obviously the weeks of watching film and growing through different experiences, ‘ Young said. “But it’s the same daily growth, the same daily grind that I’ve had to deal with most of my life. So I’m grateful for where I am now and just focused on continuing to grow.”
Dalton, who signed with the Panthers a month before Young was drafted, might have said it best Wednesday when he said, “It’s going back to the way it used to be.”
Maybe Dalton will be the starter again next week against New Orleans. Perhaps Plummer will see action for Denver. As the events of the past two months have taught the ever-optimistic Canales, with the Panthers it’s always best to expect the unexpected and try to embrace the chaos.
(Photo of Bryce Young and Andy Dalton: Michael Reaves/Getty Images)