Who Should I Start? Andy Dalton or Quinn Ewers

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.

Sunday, August 17, 6:50 AM

Miami Dolphins quarterback Quinn Ewers had a big second half in the team's second preseason game on Saturday, throwing for 116 yards and two touchdowns by completing 11 of his 17 pass attempts. He entered the game trailing 14-7 but led two touchdown drives and led the team to a 24-17 victory over the Dolphins. Both of Ewers' touchdown passes went to fellow rookie Theo Wease Jr. as both players look to establish their positions on the roster. The rookie quarterback from Texas was a seventh-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft after throwing for 9,128 yards, 68 touchdowns, and 24 interceptions in 36 games over three seasons with the Longhorns. Ewers is currently competing with Zach Wilson for the team's backup role behind Tua Tagovailoa, and both potential backups had strong showings against Detroit. Wilson played ahead of Ewers on Saturday, but Ewers stepped up with a much better showing than he had in his preseason debut against the Bears.