Panthers QB Andy Dalton leaves preseason game with apparent right elbow sprain

Carolina Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton injured his right elbow on Saturday and did not return in the team's preseason game against the Houston Texans. After the game, coach Dave Cannales said it appears to be a right elbow sprain and he will be evaluated tomorrow. Canales said Dalton told him he was fine. 

Dalton received a hit from Texans defensive lineman Danielle Hunter towards the end of the first quarter that sidelined him.

On the play, Dalton attempted a pass to Tetairoa McMillan, which fell incomplete on third-and-8, setting up a punt. The veteran quarterback was only on the field for one series, spanning seven total plays, before the injury sidelined him. Dalton went 2-of-4 with 22 yards and didn't take a sack in his short stint. The Panthers went on to lose 20-3. 

Quarterback Jack Plummer took over for Carolina. Plummer, an undrafted QB in 2024, has never played a snap of a regular season game. Former No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young played the first two drives for Carolina, both also ending in punts. Before exiting the game, Young went 0-of-2, with a two-yard carry and a sack.

Dalton joined the Panthers in 2023. With the Panthers, he played in nine games, with six starts, has a 1-5 record as a starter, along with 1,350 total passing yards, nine touchdowns and six interceptions. He started five games last season, going 1-4. 

In the team's first preseason game of the 2025 season, Dalton went 13-of-19 with 101 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. 

The three-time Pro Bowler began his career with the Cincinnati Bengals as a second-round pick in 2011, playing there until 2019. He then joined the Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints for a year each, before coming to Carolina. In his career, the 37-year-old has played in 175 games with 39,500 yards, 253 touchdowns and 150 interceptions.