Saints 2022 Year-In-Review: Andy Dalton

Twelve-year veteran QB Andy Dalton was a free-agent signing by the New Orleans Saints last offseason. The move was made because the Saints started a total of four quarterbacks during the 2021 campaign due to a season-ending injury to starter Jameis Winston.

Dalton's starting experience was what attracted the Saints. The oldest player on the team’s roster, Dalton was expected to add valuable experience behind Winston. He'd spent the previous two years as a backup in Chicago and Dallas. Before that, Dalton earned three Pro Bowls and took the Cincinnati Bengals to the playoffs in the first five of his nine seasons there.

Dalton's planned role took an unexpected twist less than a month into the 2022-23 campaign. Jameis Winston battled serious back and foot injuries from the opening week of the year. Those injuries finally forced him to the bench after three games. Dalton took over as Winston's injury replacement, which wasn't a surprise. What was surprising was what happened once Winston was medically cleared to return.

Andy Dalton

Saints Year-In-Review

With Winston sidelined, Dalton saw his first action as a Saint in a Week 4 London game against the Minnesota Vikings. He was sharper and more efficient than Winston had been in most of his three starts, completing 20 of 28 throws for 236 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions in a close loss.

Dalton remained efficient the following week against Seattle, going 16 of 24 for 187 yards with a touchdown and an interception in a 39-32 win. It was the most points the Saints scored in the 2022 season and one of only two 30-point outputs on the year.

The Saints were conservative offensively most of the season. Dalton had 30 or more throws in just three of his 14 starts. All three of those were in consecutive games between weeks 6 and 8.

The 35-year-old Dalton had his highest output of the year at Arizona in Week 8. He completed 30 of 47 passes for 361 yards and 4 touchdowns, but also threw 3 interceptions. Two were returned for touchdowns, and another was thrown in the end zone during a 42-34 loss.

Winston was cleared to return by mid-season. However, head coach Dennis Allen kept Dalton as his starter. As the season progressed, it was clear that the offense was limited behind center, yet Dalton kept the job for the rest of the campaign.

The offensive limitations weren't entirely on the quarterback. Play-calling, injury issues at offensive line, and a lack of wideout talent beyond rookie star Chris Olave once Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry were injured handcuffed the unit.

Dalton moved the team at times and took care of the ball better than Winston. However, the Saints finished the year ranked 19th in total offense and 16th in passing production.

Over the last nine games, the Saints offense scored 21 or more points just twice. They were held to 13 or fewer points in five of those games and suffered their first shutout since the 2001 season.

Andy Dalton threw for 2,871 yards with 18 touchdown passes and 9 interceptions in 14 starts. His 66.7% completion percentage was actually the highest of his 12-year career. He was fairly efficient most of the year, but often failed to convert key plays in crucial moments, especially under pressure.

The New Orleans Saints have a glaring problem at quarterback. Winston will be released before the start of free agency on March 15. Dalton is an unrestricted free agent. He proved to be a quality backup, but at this point of his career is nothing better than a spot starter.

Neither Dalton or Winston were the major reasons for the Saints struggles in 2022. However, it's also clear that neither are the answer for the team at football's most important position. Dalton may be brought back on a cheap deal, but as nothing more than a backup to whoever New Orleans finds to start in free agency or the draft.

Saints 2022 Year-In-Review: Andy Dalton

Andy Dalton

Saints Year-In-Review

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