An Andy Dalton renaissance could be upon us, as the veteran quarterback is coming off a phenomenal performance that shocked the NFL world.
Dalton's revival arrived just in time for a reunion tour.
It'd be far more rousing to tab it a revenge tour, but that's just not who the Red Rifle is as he approaches a Week 4 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, the team he led for nine seasons.
"It's going to be nice to catch up with them and get to see them," Dalton said Wednesday, via The Charlotte Observer’s Mike Kaye. "When you see Cincy on the schedule -- I've had it every year except last year. So, it's always fun to get the opportunity to go up against them."
The 36-year-old will face his former team a week after replacing a demoted Bryce Young, the 2023 No. 1 overall pick, and leading the Panthers to their first win of the season in a stunning upset of the Las Vegas Raiders. Having earned his first win as a starter for Carolina, Dalton will keep hold of the starting reins in a big-cat battle against a club he won 70 games for from 2011-2019.
Dalton's last season with the Bengals was head coach Zac Taylor's first. It was hardly a great exit, as Cincinnati started the season 0-11 and finished at 2-14 with Dalton getting benched before returning to close it out. There's no fire fueled by animosity, though.
Dalton's moved on. And moved again and again.
The red-headed rifleman played for the Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints following his time with Cincinnati and before joining Carolina in 2023.
On Sunday, Dalton will start a game for the fourth time against the Bengals. He's 2-1 in his previous starts with 403 yards and four touchdowns to no interceptions. He last played against the team that took him in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft in Week 6 of the 2022 season. Starting for the Saints, Dalton and Co. lost, 30-26.
Now with another NFC South squad, Dalton is coming off one of the NFL's best QB performances of 2024, throwing for 319 yards and three touchdowns against the Raiders.
Cincinnati's 0-3 start is the franchise's worst since Dalton's final campaign in the Queen City. Dalton's not looking at a winless Bengals team as an easy Sunday by any means, however.
"It's a great team," Dalton said. "Their record doesn't show exactly who they are. Everybody knows what types of players they have over there and the success that they've had. So, you can't take them lightly."
Provided Dalton keeps hold of his starting gig, he will play against each of his former teams this season.
The Panthers travel to face the Bears in Week 5, host the Saints in Week 9 and will welcome the Cowboys in Week 15.
Dalton's been a starter and a backup for every team he's played on, but he's back as a QB1 for Carolina, aiming to follow up a sterling showing in Week 3 with more good fortune against the franchise he called home for nearly a decade.
