There will be no quarterback controversy this season for the Carolina Panthers. Last year, there was some debate about whether or not Bryce Young should return to the lineup after he’d been benched in favor of Andy Dalton.
After watching Dalton lay an egg against the Buffalo Bills today, any lingering questions about who the best option is for this team to start are officially settled.
Dalton was not just bad against the Bills – he was horrible in a way that is completely unacceptable for a quarterback with nearly 15 years of experience in the NFL. He was so bad that ESPN analyst Louis Riddick shared a post stating it looked like Dalton had never played before at all.
Andy Dalton legit looks like he has never played. Ever.
— Louis Riddick (@LRiddickESPN) October 26, 2025
Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe chipped in with his own shot at Dalton during the game.
A. Dalton is awful 2day. He’s not been good since Cincy. 2day especially atrocious 🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️ #NFLSUNDAYFOOTBALL #BillsPanthers
— shannon sharpe (@ShannonSharpe) October 26, 2025
Dalton completed a couple of nice deep passes to rookie wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, but that was really the extent of the positives that he put on film today. When not targeting McMillan Dalton was extremely hesitant, resulting in several sacks that didn’t need to happen – Dalton ended the day with seven.
Along the way Dalton threw a heinous pick six on a screen pass, lost a horrendous fumble when he tried to leave the pocket and couldn’t even manage to total 180 passing yards or a single touchdown on the day.
Whatever reasons the Panthers had for re-signing Dalton this past offseason, it’s clear that he has outlived his usefulness as an actual quarterback. His role going forward should be strictly in a consulting and/or coaching kind of role.
Hopefully Bryce Young will be able to return to the lineup next week against the Green Bay Packers, and head coach Dave Canales told reporters after the game that he hopes Young can practice on Wednesday.
If Young can’t practice Wednesday, the Panthers would be much better off giving the starter reps to third-stringer Hendon Hooker.
While Hooker doesn’t stand much of a chance in what would be his first career start at this level against a tough Packers team in a hostile environment, the Panthers would at least get to learn about their young QB. Starting Dalton again would amount to nothing but a total waste of time.
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