CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers have benched 2023 No. 1 pick Bryce Young after the second-year quarterback’s rough start to the season.
Andy Dalton will take over as the starter Sunday in Las Vegas.
Panthers coach Dave Canales said he made the decision after watching game film from Sunday’s 26-3 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
He informed both QBs of the decision Monday after consulting with general manager Dan Morgan and vice president of football operations Brandt Tilis.
“After watching the film and taking in all of the information, I feel like Andy gives us the best chance to win,” Canales said.
Canales wouldn’t say if Dalton will remain the starter beyond this week, saying, “Right now the focus is on this week.”
Canales also wouldn’t say exactly what led to the decision to bench Young.
“I don’t want to get into the specifics as those are private conversations,” he said.
Canales worked with Geno Smith in Seattle and Baker Mayfield at Tampa Bay, helping turn their careers around. He was hired in part to get the most out of Young, who struggled last season as a rookie with nearly as many interceptions (10) as touchdown passes (11).
But Young’s struggles have carried over to this year.
He completed just 31 of 56 passes for 244 yards with three interceptions as the Panthers started 0-2 for the second straight year and were outscored 73-13 by the New Orleans Saints and Chargers. Young has run for one touchdown, the only one of the season for Carolina.
When asked if Young still has the support of the locker room, Canales said: “That’s a loaded question. Right now our focus is to make sure that we fix the film from yesterday and get ready for the Raiders.”
Young is 2-16 as a starter since the Panthers traded up eight spots in the 2023 draft to get him.
They made a significant investment in that deal with the Chicago Bears, trading wide receiver DJ Moore and four draft picks — one of which turned out to be the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft after the Panthers finished a league-worst 2-15 last season. The Bears used that pick to take quarterback Caleb Williams.
Young becomes the first quarterback selected No. 1 in the common draft era, starting in 1967, to be benched for non-injury reasons in his second season.
He hasn’t looked much like a No. 1 pick since his arrival, continually looking flustered in the pocket and often making poor decisions and throwing into double coverage. His first throw this season was an interception against the Saints and things only seem to have gotten worse.
Young was booed repeatedly by the home crowd Sunday after the offense stalled time and time again. Carolina was 1 of 12 on third down and was outgained 349-159.
When asked about his confidence after the game, Young said: “I draw my confidence from the Lord. I’m very blessed. I’m grateful for this challenge. Not an ideal start, but God does everything for a reason. I have faith in that.”
Young said he needed to do a better job with his decision-making.
“You always want to make a play. You want to do something,” he said. “Obviously part of the position is being the game manager. Some bad instances of that on film today. I definitely take accountability for that.”
Dalton is 83-78-2 as an NFL starter, including one start last season with the Panthers. He has thrown 246 touchdown passes and 144 interceptions since coming into the league in 2011 with the Cincinnati Bengals.
He said Monday he was surprised by the move but is excited about the opportunity to start again.
“When I came here, I wasn’t sure if I was going to get another opportunity, so I’m really looking forward to it,” said Dalton, who missed a portion of training camp with a quadriceps injury. “I’m excited about what’s ahead. And, you know, it’s a tough situation. I’ve been on both sides of it, and it’s hard. I mean, it’s hard on everybody, but for me, I’m looking forward to it.”
Panthers tight end Tommy Tremble said he still feels Young is a great quarterback and said the blame shouldn’t fall all on the QB’s shoulders.
“We haven’t done the best (as teammates) to help him show his ability,” Tremble said. “I’ve seen the flashes and what he does on a daily basis in practice. Just together as a group I feel bad that we couldn’t show that on Sundays.”
