Andy Dalton didn’t exactly get the fanfare one would hope for when he signed with the Chicago Bears. Fans met it with either outright fury or total apathy. They either view him as a step down from Mitch Trubisky or just more of the same. GM Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy both believe they got a good football player. Somebody who can run the offense they want to run, make good decisions, and be a leader.

For most though? He just represents more of the same for Bears fans. A living embodiment of quarterback purgatory. That isn’t fair to him but it’s the reality of the situation. Even if he is better than Trubisky, it won’t be enough to make a significant difference. Is it really that bad or are people being a little too pessimistic? Plenty of experts have come out over the past few weeks insisting Dalton is better than he gets credit for.

One person who agrees with them? Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner.

He appeared as a guest on the Waddle & Silvy show and was asked about the Dalton signing. Is there any hope at all for the Bears with this move? In his mind, yes there is. It comes from a mix of two things. Dalton’s more proven track record and his greater level of consistency. While Trubisky might be more physically gifted, Dalton plays the position better. That should make the offense better.

“The problem for me with this move is I’m a huge Andy Dalton fan because Andy Dalton plays the game very similar to the way I played it. Good anticipation. Smart guy. Can lead. Doesn’t make a lot of bad, bad decisions. So you get a lot of upside with Andy Dalton.”

That might seem humble from Warner’s perspective, but what he says isn’t entirely unfounded. The two are of similar size and athleticism. Warner might’ve had a better arm but their physical capabilities aren’t that far apart. So why is Warner in the Hall of Fame? A considerable part is being able to play with some outstanding supporting casts. He had two Hall of Fame-caliber receivers in St. Louis (Isaac Bruce and Tory Holt) with the Rams and then two more in Arizona (Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald).

Maybe what he’s trying to say is if you give Dalton enough help, he’ll win you some football games.

Andy Dalton has proven he can play when armed properly

He proved it first in Cincinnati. His best season was in 2015. That year he had A.J. Green, Marvin Jones, and Tyler Eifert as his three primary targets. It’s probably not a coincidence that his effectiveness dipped the next year when the Bengals let Jones walk in free agency. The same goes for doing the same with his All-Pro left tackle Andrew Whitworth in 2017. People always blame Dalton for his shortcomings. That organization never got enough heat for its failures in keeping a strong supporting cast around him.

Can the Bears succeed where they failed? Thus far their efforts haven’t exactly stood out. They managed to retain Allen Robinson, which is good. However, they haven’t made any significant upgrade to the offensive line and have depth concerns at wide receiver. Perhaps that will change in the draft or maybe they have other moves in mind for free agency. As things stand? He might make the offense slightly better from last year.

Will that be enough? 

Given how the defense was starting to trend down towards the end of 2020, it doesn’t seem that way. Unless they can re-fortify it or add more firepower, this team won’t be much better than it was last season. Perhaps even worse given their brutal-looking schedule. Dalton isn’t a bad quarterback. He never was. He just may not be good enough to fulfill the task in front of him.