CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Andy Dalton had just picked up his kids from school on Tuesday’s off-day and was headed home, then off 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 couple miles from his family’s home in south Charlotte, the vehicle Dalton was driving collided with another vehicle and everything with the Carolina Panthers quarterback situation changed.
Or it didn’t.
Before delving into the football impact of Tuesday’s events, let’s first say this: Dalton’s family and the other driver were extremely fortunate that the worst thing to come out of the two-vehicle crash was the sprained thumb on Dalton’s throwing hand.
“It was scary,” Dalton said. “First time for (his children) to go through something like that. They were pretty shaken up by it. Everybody’s healthy, which was the No. 1 thing we were thankful for.”
Panthers coach Dave Canales, quarterback Bryce Young and Dalton’s teammates all felt the same when they learned that the 36-year-old Dalton, nicknamed the “Red Rifle,” had been in an accident.
“I think everybody needs to be really 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 kids. The dog was with him.”
The collision was bad enough that the airbags in both vehicles deployed. And after getting his family taken care of with the help of some strangers as well as neighbors passing by on Sardis Road, Dalton realized “pretty quick that something was up” with his thumb.
He got in touch with the team and underwent medical testing. An MRI confirmed the sprain. “I’m thankful it is what it is,” Dalton said, “because it could’ve 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
That’s when the football decisions started happening. Canales called Young on Tuesday evening so he could start preparing to start Sunday’s game at Denver — five weeks after Canales had informed Young he was benching last year’s No. 1 pick. Dalton also called Young.
Most figured the Panthers (1-6) would go back to Young at some point this season, either because of mounting losses and frustrations or an injury to Dalton. But no one could have imagined it would have transpired like this.
“It’s definitely unfortunate, definitely didn’t think it was gonna happen picking the kids up from school, heading home. Then take to the tennis lesson and a baseball game,” Dalton said. “But definitely crazy that it happened.”
The Panthers hope Dalton’s thumb — which Canales described as a “bad sprain” — heals fast enough that he can be the No. 2 quarterback Sunday against the Broncos. 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 several players back. Edge rusher D.J. 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 practicing after missing multiple games.
It’s been that kind of season for Canales, the longtime Seattle Seahawks assistant who conceded he’s never endured a year quite like his first one in Charlotte.
“I can honestly say no, I have not,” he said. “I just know that hard times create perseverance. Perseverance builds character. I look around at the staff. I look around at our guys and I just see a bunch of people just going back to work, and really just chasing these moments, these opportunities that we have.”
No one has a bigger opportunity than Young, who struggled through a rough rookie season and then somehow looked worse the first two games this year, despite improvements along the offensive line and the arrival 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 re-installing him as the starter even as the Panthers lost four in a row and Dalton had started throwing more interceptions — a no-no for a coach who values “the ball.”
But now Canales has to go back to Young at least for a game, after which Canales will evaluate the quarterback position on a week-to-week basis.
“He’s been an absolute stud through this whole process. He’s been engaged, involved in what we’re doing. So he’s excited about this opportunity,” Canales said. “I’m fired up for him to have another opportunity to just get in there and play some football.”
If Young doesn’t do enough against the Broncos — a top-3 defense and top-5 passing defense — to merit another start with the Panthers, maybe he’ll catch the eye of another team before the Nov. 5 trade deadline. But that’s a possibility Young would never acknowledge publicly.
“I try to work to be better every single day and I always want to grow. Obviously, the weeks of watching film and growing through different experiences,” Young said. “But it’s the same day-to-day growth, the same day-to-day grind I’ve been on for the majority of my life. So I’m grateful for where I’m at and just focused on continuing to grow.”
Dalton, who signed with the Panthers a month before they drafted Young, might have put it best Wednesday when he said: “It goes back to how it was before.”
Maybe Dalton goes back to being the starter next week against New Orleans. Maybe Plummer gets in the game at Denver. As the events of the last two months have taught the always upbeat 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)
