It has not been an easy few weeks for Andy Dalton. On Thursday, the Dallas Cowboys quarterback talked to reporters about being diagnosed with COVID-19 two weeks ago and still recovering from it. He revealed that he’s still trying to get back his sense of taste and smell.
“The COVID, it hit me hard the first day I had it, then it gradually started feeling better,” Dalton said as reported by ESPN. “By the end of it, I was ready to get out of quarantine and get back up here.” Dalton is looking to return to action on Sunday after missing the last two games with the coronavirus and a concussion which he suffered on Oct. 25 in the game against the Washington Football Team. He returned to the team facilities last week to finish concussion protocols. However, he wasn’t able to finish those since he was in quarantine.
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Dalton said he’s not sure how he contracted COVID-19, but his wife and one of his sons also tested positive. “Everybody is good now,” Dalton said. “So we’re all healthy and back to normal.” Dalton took over at quarterback for Dak Prescott on Oct. 11 after he suffered a season-ending ankle injury. Ever since Prescott went down, the Cowboys have lost four consecutive games.
“It was a little frustrating,” Dalton said. “You miss the one game because of the concussion, first time dealing with that, and then the COVID. It’s like, it all kind of hit at once. I wish I could have been out there. I wish I could have played in the two games that I missed.” Despite the team struggling with Dalton under center, the team is glad to have him back after going with Ben DiNucci on Nov. 1 and Garrett Gilbert on Nov. 8. Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy has been impressed with the way Dalton has looked during practice this week.
“I thought he was decisive and he threw the ball very well,” McCarthy said when talking about Dalton’s work during Wednesday’s practice. “That’s the biggest thing because obviously the ball is coming out on time and so forth. I thought he was in rhythm. Andy has excellent command of the whole operation. … Great to have him back.” Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings will kick off at 4:25 p.m. ET.
