Panthers News: Carolina listed as possible landing spot for Dalton

The Carolina Panthers were named as a top destination for quarterback Andy Dalton following his official release from the Cincinnati Bengals.

Quarterback Andy Dalton is officially a free agent after his long-speculated release from the Cincinnati Bengals was confirmed. A recent Carolina Panthers news story has listed the franchise as a possible destination.

The writing has been on the wall for the signal-caller for some time and his fate was sealed the moment LSU’s prolific gunslinger Joe Burrow was taken first overall by the Bengals in the 2020 NFL Draft.

This ends a nine-year stay in Cincinnati for Dalton, which has been littered with inconsistencies. A renaissance might be in the pipeline if the player manages to thrive in a new environment. But the options for a starting position elsewhere are slim.

Former Panthers quarterback Cam Newton can attest to this. But Tim Daniels of The Bleacher Report has listed Carolina in his four top landing spots for Dalton in 2020.

Daniels wrote this regarding the Panthers and Dalton to reason his decision.

"The Panthers signed Teddy Bridgewater to a three-year, $63 million contract to become their new starter after he went 5-0 with nine touchdowns and two interceptions in spot starts for the New Orleans Saints last season. He hasn’t been a full-time starter since 2015 with the Minnesota Vikings, though.In turn, Carolina may want to add a veteran backup like Dalton as a safety net. Will Grier, who tallied four picks and no touchdowns in two games last year, and XFL standout P.J. Walker are the current reserves."

This move would require Dalton to take the minimum amount financially given the Panthers news relating to their salary cap constraints. They have the highest dead-cap bill in the NFL by a considerable margin at $49.1 million. This leaves little wiggle room for any areas that do not take the highest of priorities.

Bringing someone like Dalton in would be a strange decision. They placed a lot of faith in Bridgewater in the short-term. But if he cannot get the job done then the organization will surely be in a prime position to take a potential franchise-changing quarterback such as Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, or Trey Lance in the 2021 NFL Draft.

The New England Patriots seem like the best fit on paper for Dalton. His style of play is perfectly suited to Bill Belichick’s scheme and there is plenty of speculation linking him to the huge void left by Tom Brady.

This makes the Panthers picking up Dalton as a backup extremely unlikely. The organization seems content with what they have for 2020 and have put some intriguing pieces around Bridgewater to give him the best possible chance of success.