What teams has Andy Dalton played for in the NFL? Journey of the Saints' veteran QB explored

Andy Dalton currently plays for the New Orleans Saints as a quarterback. But after an ugly loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 9 of the 2022 NFL season, he might yet lose his place to Jameis Winston again. As has been the story of his life, he has been supplanted by other quarterbacks in the various franchises he has played for, despite not playing particularly badly.

Here, we take a look at all the teams Dalton has played for in his NFL career, starting with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Andy Dalton's journeyman career

Andy Dalton was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He quickly established himself as the starter and stablizied the franchise. While there, he made it to three Pro Bowls and took the Bengals towards a sustained period of success in the regular season.

The issues cam in the postseason. He could never win a game in the playoffs, and while the Bengals kept faith with him for a long time, they let him go in 2019 for Joe Burrow. Suffice to say, this decision has been vindicated based on last season's performances in Cincinnati.

Dalton went to the Dallas Cowboys in 2020 but found himself the backup to Dak Prescott. He was a thorough professional during that time and performed admirably when Prescott was out injured. That earned him a chance with the Chicago Bears in 2021, where he was named the starter ahead of Justin Fields and Nick Foles.

Dalton knew that his time as a starter in Chicago was going to be limited, as Fields was being groomed to take over. However, he could not have imagined how soon that would be. He was supplanted as the started in the middle of the season and Justin Fields was given the reins. Dalton played only eight games for Chicago last season and moved on to the New Orleans Saints this season.

He got his chance in Week 2, after starting quarterback Jameis Winston went down injured. He started for the next five games, and even when Winston returned, Andy Dalton was named the starting quarterback for Week 9. Yet, in primetime, he again wilted.

Whether the Saints' current problems damage his chances with the franchise remains to be seen. However, he is quickly running out of wiggle room to resurrect his career anywhere else in the NFL. In his career Dalton has thrown for 36,454 yards, 235 touchdowns and 139 interceptions. We will see what the future holds for Andy Dalton