Miles Sanders says Andy Dalton is a future Hall of Famer

Carolina Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton has carved out quite the career for himself since being selected in the second-round of the 2011 NFL Draft out of TCU.

38,150 passing yards. A 244:144 touchdown to interception ratio. A career mark of 83-77-2. Three Pro Bowl appearances. A nice career, yes, but is it Hall of Fame worthy? Dalton’s teammate, running back Miles Sanders, appears to think so.

“I have a good feeling about these guys,” Sanders said on WFNZ radio’s “Mac and Bone Podcast” last week, via Fox News. “These guys work, and that’s the main thing I’ve noticed in OTAs. We got a very, very good young quarterback [Bryce Young] that’s being mentored by a very, very, very good quarterback, a future Hall of Famer, Andy Dalton, who I have a lot of respect for.

“And you got guys like Adam Thielen mentoring the young receivers, and that’s a great guy to take notes from. We got a seasoned O-line that I love – I love the film, I love watching their film. And the defense is stacked.”

Andy Dalton makes bold proclamation about where he stands amongst NFL quarterbacks

Dalton, who signed a two-year, $10 million deal ($8 million fully guaranteed) with the Panthers this offseason, will backup Young — the team’s No. 1 overall selection in April’s Draft out of Alabama. Though starter reps will be hard to come by, the 35-year-old journeyman believes he’s still worthy of one of the top-32 quarterback jobs in the NFL.

“I view myself as a starter in this league,” Dalton recently said in an interview with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “I don’t think there are 32 guys better than me. But this is the situation I am in, and I understand that. As soon as I don’t think I’m one of the best 32, or a little lower, I’ll be watching football on TV.”

Dalton, however, believes he’s in a good spot for this point in his career because of who he’s surrounded by.

“I am in a really, really good situation here,” Dalton said. “[Head coach] Frank Reich played til he was 38. He was a career backup. He understands the continuity you want in a [quarterback[ room. [Quarterbacks coach] Josh McCown played until he was 40. … Josh was my friend for the last 10 years, and now he’s my coach.”