With the league’s 17-game season and relentless grind from Week 1 through the Super Bowl, there’s never been a better time to go two deep at quarterback than now across the NFL.
Luckily for the Carolina Panthers, first-year head coach Frank Reich has a backup option under center that’s appeared in 166 NFL games in ninth-year quarterback Andy Dalton.
BetCarolina.com, your home to North Carolina sports betting, utilized data on all 32 backup QBs from Pro-Football-Reference.com on games started, QB rating, TD% and INT% to compile an aggregate ranking of the most valuable backup QBs in the league.
We utilized ESPN.com as well as updated team depth charts to determine backup QBs. At this point, not all depth charts are set/available.
Read on to discover how much Dalton's experience could boost the Panthers playoff chances.
Rating NFL’s Backup Quarterbacks
MORE: NFL Betting in North Carolina
Dalton Among NFL’s Best Backup QB’s
Dalton and the Panthers ranked third leaguewide among NFL backup quarterbacks, thanks to the 35-year-old Texas native’s No. 1 ranking for games started and No. 5 finish in terms of touchdown percentage.
Overall, Dalton finished behind Indianapolis Colts’ backup Gardner Minshew and Marcus Mariota of the Philadelphia Eagles among NFL backups, with both finishing in a tie for first leaguewide.
Dalton’s 38,150 passing yards, 244 passing touchdowns and 1.7-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio ultimately helped the NFL veteran climb the league leaderboard among backup options.
Whether the “Red Rocket” will see the field much this year behind Bryce Young remains to be seen, though Panthers fans can rest assured that Dalton’s ready for his moment under center should it arise.
Keep tabs on this site for more Panthers updates, plus the best North Carolina sportsbook promos.
