Dalton should be fine. There is a perception that he will make his reads faster than Dak. I think that’s a faulty assumption. However, I do think he will get the ball out of his hand faster, taking the first open option he sees. When Dak was doing that, fans referred to it as dinking and dunking. With Dalton, they will likely call it faster decision making, whether that’s a holdover of racial QB prejudice or veteran/youth prejudice.
The bottom line is Dak had reached a level of confidence in himself, his receivers, and the system to where he was sometimes holding the ball longer than necessary, trying to push the ball downfield. In the two minute drill, with more on the line at crunch time, he tended to make quicker reads and take what the defense gave him in order to move the ball effectively and avoid negative plays.
Dalton is likely to get the ball out of his hands faster, which is a good thing for a backup QB behind a limited OL, but no one should try to compare that to Dak’s style. Dak was extremely effective, and I think Andy Dalton will be effective.
The defense is an entirely different matter.
