Atlanta's Third Quarterback in Six Weeks Is Andy Dalton

Andy Dalton is the Falcons' starting quarterback now. Cooper Rush's back gave out, Tua Tagovailoa's oblique never healed in time, and Michael Penix Jr. — the one the front office actually built this around — has been in and out of the lineup all month. Three quarterbacks in roughly six weeks. That is where things stand.

Dalton is a long-tenured veteran who has kept teams functional in spots like this one before. That is about the most you can say for the situation. The offense was designed to run through Bijan Robinson on the ground and Kyle Pitts Sr. down the seam, and those two are still here. Bijan finished last season with 1,478 rushing yards and 820 receiving yards. Pitts caught 88 of 118 targets for 928 yards. The skeleton of a workable offense exists. The question is whether Dalton can hand the ball off cleanly and stay out of the way enough to let it function.

What this week confirms, more than anything, is that the depth chart at quarterback was never built to survive contact. Tua went down in practice before Week 1. Rush filled in and then broke down himself. There was no third option the front office had prepared for — Dalton is a phone call, not a plan. I noted after the Penix clearance for Chicago that the safety net was already gone. It is still gone. It just has a different name on it now.