The Dallas Cowboys made a rather unusual move earlier this week, signing veteran quarterback Andy Dalton.
Given that the Cowboys have not yet reached a long-term agreement with Dak Prescott, their decision to bring in Dalton is kind of odd. Heck, it would have been odd even if Dallas did pay Prescott.
Dalton was a starting quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals each of the first nine seasons of his career between 2011 and 2019, so it's no surprise that he still wants to start going forward.
“I believe I'm a starter in this league,” Dalton said, according to Jori Epstein of USA TODAY Sports.
Dalton made sure to qualify that “Dak's the starter on this team,” but the fact that Dalton still sees himself as one as well might create a somewhat awkward situation in the Cowboys' locker room.
The 32-year-old, who played his collegiate football at TCU, was originally selected by the Bengals in the second round (35th pick overall) of the 2011 NFL Draft.
He made three trips to the Pro Bowl during his time in Cincinnati, but over the last couple of years, it had become increasingly obvious that the Bengals weren't going to go much further with Dalton under center. Dalton even ended up briefly losing his starting job to Ryan Finley in 2019.
In 13 games this past season, the Katy, Tx. native threw for 3,494 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions while completing 59.5 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 78.3.
Prescott's numbers far exceeded that, so barring a poor turn of events between Prescott and Dallas' front office, Dalton will likely be waiting at least another year before he gets the chance to start again.
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