Andy Dalton told the Eagles "no thank you" when they offered to bring him back, Dalton is expected to sign with another team soon, and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk said that could come as early as tomorrow. Per Florio, as relayed on NBC Sports' Football Night in America, Philadelphia approached the veteran quarterback just nine days after releasing him. Dalton declined even though Jalen Hurts is out indefinitely.
The sources differ on how much detail they give. Yahoo Sports and Pro Football Talk say only that the Eagles have had to scramble to fill out the depth chart with Hurts sidelined. Bleeding Green Nation's Brandon Lee Gowton ties the situation to Hurts' blood clot and says the Eagles signed Joe Milton III from the Dallas Cowboys' practice squad last week. Gowton also writes that Milton was not the team's first choice, because Philadelphia wanted Dalton back. NFL Trade Rumors' Logan Ulrich adds that the Eagles acquired Dalton from the Panthers in an offseason trade and named him Hurts' backup after the preseason. None of the reporting says why Dalton said no or which team he is likely to join.
Our data shows Dalton's time in Philadelphia was brief. He has one game played this season, with one pass attempt, no completions, no yards and an interception. His last appearance was on Sept. 28. Last year he played four games and went 25 of 37 for 293 yards, one touchdown and one interception, with eight sacks taken. The last time he had a heavy workload was 2022 with New Orleans, when he threw for 2,871 yards over 14 games.
The quarterback question matters because the Eagles are struggling. They are 2-4, third in the NFC East, and have lost four straight. Sunday's 25-14 home loss to Carolina, Dalton's former club, was the latest. In that game Philadelphia gained 222 yards to the Panthers' 399. It ran 13 times for 35 yards and was sacked three times for 28 yards. The Panthers are 3-2 and lead the NFC South. The Eagles' other recent losses were 19-17 at Jacksonville and 24-20 against the Rams.
Milton is now the quarterback who arrived instead of Dalton. His only recent numbers in our archive are from Dallas last season: 15 of 24 for 183 yards over four games. The reporting doesn't say who will start or who will back up while Hurts is out, and the Eagles have not given a timeline for his return. Philadelphia's next game is Monday, Oct. 26 against the Cowboys, the team that employed Milton until last week.
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