Instead of preparing for Bryce Young this week, the Raiders are now looking at veteran quarterback Andy Dalton as the Panthers come to town on Sunday.
But as head coach Antonio Pierce noted in his Wednesday press conference, Las Vegas has former Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis on staff — who drafted Dalton back in 2011 and coached him for eight seasons.
“Experience,” Pierce said of what Dalton brings to the table. “The good thing about it, we’ve got a gentleman on our staff who drafted him, knows him very well. We played against Andy actually two years ago as well with New Orleans. So, there’s some familiarity with us.
“Obviously, what are they going to do scheme wise just in a couple of days? He’s a vet. I’m sure there’s not too much they can’t throw at him and ask him to do, but I do expect him to be a little bit more efficient, I would think, on third down [because that] is what their issues were. But looking at a guy who is experienced, that knows how to move the ball, move the chains and somehow, some way, when he gets on the field he makes plays. So, we’ve got to be savvy and smart there.”
Though Lewis is familiar with Dalton, Pierce said they won’t lean too heavily on the former Bengals coach because it has been several years since they were together.
“I think what we can do is really get into the mindset, the psyche of the quarterback,” Pierce said. “I mean, he’s been away for some time. It’s really a scouting report at this point. We’re still trying to figure out what Carolina is going to do offensively with Andy, which might be different or may not be different than they did with Bryce.”
In 2022, Dalton completed 67 percent of his passes for 2,871 yards with 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions. In his lone start for Carolina last year, he completed 34-of-58 passes for 361 yards with two touchdowns and no picks.