Who Should I Start? Andy Dalton or Nick Mullens

Thursday, August 21, 6:05 PM

Carolina Panthers backup quarterback Andy Dalton (elbow) is being held out of the team's preseason finale on Thursday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to Panthers beat writer Darin Gantt. Starter Bryce Young will also be held out, leaving QB duties on Thursday to Jack Plummer and Bryce Perkins, who was just signed on Monday. The 37-year-old Dalton suffered a muscle strain in his right elbow in the team's second preseason tilt last Saturday against the Houston Texans. While the injury isn't considered overly serious, Dalton is strictly focused on being available for the club's Week 1 regular-season opener on Sunday, Sept. 7, against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Red Rifle is purely a backup at this point in his career. In six games (five starts) played last year in Carolina when Young was benched, he threw for 989 yards, seven touchdowns and six interceptions.

Monday, March 10, 4:55 PM

The Jacksonville Jaguars agreed to terms with free-agent quarterback Nick Mullens on Monday on a two-year, $6.5 million deal with $3 million guaranteed, a source told NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. Mullens will be the new backup to Trevor Lawrence in head coach Liam Coen's first year in Duvall. The 29-year-old Mullens will reunite with new Jaguars assistant coach Grant Udinski after the two worked together with the Minnesota Vikings. Mullens spent the last three years in Minnesota, appearing in 13 games (three starts) while throwing for 1,568 yards, eight touchdowns and nine interceptions. He only appeared in four games in relief last year with Sam Darnold having a career year. Mullens will provide veteran backup depth behind Lawrence, though, having appeared in 33 games (20 starts) in his seven years in the NFL with Minnesota, San Francisco and Cleveland.