Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton didn’t need any emergency treatment after being involved in a car accident on Tuesday, but he did get checked out by the team’s medical department and it appears he was shaken up enough to need a little time to rest.
Reporters at the open portion of Panthers practice on Wednesday shared pictures of Dalton standing to the side and watching the rest of the team go through drills.
The Panthers have not released an injury report yet, so there’s no official word on Dalton’s condition. The report and head coach Dave Canales should provide more of an update before the day is out.
When Dalton is out, Bryce Young gets the work with the first team and the former starter would presumably be in line to face the Broncos if Dalton is at any risk of missing the game.
The Panthers announced that quarterback Andy Dalton was involved in a car accident in Charlotte on Tuesday.
A team spokesperson said, via multiple reporters, that Dalton was driving with his wife, three children, and the family’s dog when the accident happened. No one was transported to the hospital by emergency medical services, but team medical personnel is evaluating Dalton.
The Panthers are scheduled to practice on Wednesday, so that should bring any further updates about Dalton’s condition.
Dalton was installed as the team’s starting quarterback in Week Three and head coach Dave Canales reaffirmed that he’ll be in that position again in Week Eight after Sunday’s 40-7 loss to the Commanders.
The Panthers made a number of roster moves on Tuesday.
They signed linebacker Cam Gill and defensive tackle Jonathan Harris to their 53-man roster. They also released linebacker Marquis Haynes and waived linebacker Chandler Wooten and defensive tackle T.J. Smith.
Gill spent time with the Panthers this summer and signed to the Lions practice squad after being released. Gill had 29 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and a forced fumble in 40 regular season games with the Buccaneers and was part of their Super Bowl LV champions.
Harris was signed off of the Dolphins practice squad. He played for Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero when Evero held the same position with the Broncos in 2022.
The Panthers are bringing in a pair of defensive players from different teams.
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, Carolina is signing linebacker Cam Gill off of Detroit’s practice squad and defensive tackle Jonathan Harris off of Miami’s practice squad.
Gill, 26, has appeared in 40 games since 2020, all with the Buccaneers. He has recorded 2.5 sacks and 29 total tackles. He was with the Panthers during the offseason program and training camp before he was placed on injured reserve and subsequently released from the list.
Harris, 28, has appeared in 33 games with nine starts for the Bears and Broncos since 2019. He’s recorded 81 total tackles with a sack, six tackles for loss, and six QB hits. He appeared in 17 games with five starts for Denver last year.
Miami signed Harris to a one-year deal in March and signed him to the practice squad in late August.
The Panthers got blown out by the Commanders on Sunday, but they didn’t use the 40-7 loss as a chance to get quarterback Bryce Young some playing time in place of the struggling Andy Dalton.
Dalton threw two interceptions in the first quarter and had just 93 passing yards, but he remained into the game until the final minutes of the fourth quarter. Young came in for one series and the Panthers lost four yards on his two completions.
On Monday, Canales was asked several questions about Young during his press conference. He called questions about whether the Panthers would consider trading Young “hypotheticals” that were better posed to General Manager Dan Morgan and executive vice president of football operations Brandt Tillis and used the same word when asked if the Panthers feel they need to see Young play again before making a determination about whether he’s part of their future.
“Right now we’re focused on the Broncos,” Canales said. “Andy’s playing this week and that’s really where our focus is at. All those other conversations are all hypothetical conversations that definitely Dan and Brandt, we have to have, but right now we’re focused on playing the Broncos and getting Andy to take another step in terms of getting us back to playing good football.”
Canales was also asked if the team has lost confidence in Young.
“This is about Andy Dalton,” Canales said. “This is about playing the Broncos. This is about taking strides with our group that we have in and that’s really where the focus is.”
Canales said that questions about the team’s plans for Young are “not unfounded” before repeating that his focus is on the upcoming game against the Broncos and how to get the whole team playing better football than we’ve seen in the first seven weeks. It’s clear they don’t think Young is part of the answer to that question right now and there was little from Canales on Monday to suggest that view will be changing anytime soon.
