Who Should I Start? Andy Dalton or Davis Mills

Tuesday, February 18, 4:15 PM

The Carolina Panthers and quarterback Andy Dalton agreed on a two-year, $8 million deal on Tuesday that includes $6 million guaranteed and has a maximum value of $10 million, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter. The veteran signal-caller will remain in Carolina, where he's developed a close relationship with starter Bryce Young. Dalton, 37, ended up making five starts for the Panthers in 2024 after the team benched Young following his slow start. In his six appearances in his second year in Carolina, the Red Rifle completed 66.3% of his 160 pass attempts for 989 yards, seven touchdowns and six interceptions before suffering a thumb injury in a car accident that gave the Panthers a reason to go back to Young to end the year. Young looked the best he has in his young career to close out 2024, so Dalton will be entrenched as his backup entering the 2025 season.

Sunday, January 5, 4:09 PM

Playing in relief on Sunday, Houston Texans backup quarterback Davis Mills completed 12 of 22 passes for 128 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in a victory at Tennessee. Houston was already set as the No. 4 seed in the AFC playoffs, so the team gave starter C.J. Stroud the day off after throwing a touchdown pass to wide receiver Nico Collins on the first drive of the game. With many key players out of the game, Mills took over under center and did a serviceable job, avoiding any major mistakes and adding 11 rushing yards on three carries. He'll return to being the backup when Houston plays host to a Wild Card game next week.