Panthers to bench QB Bryce Young for veteran Andy Dalton following his disastrous start to the season
Bryce Young had 84 yards and 1 interception in Sunday night's loss to the Chargers, and that had seemingly led the team to pull the trigger.
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Andy Dalton and Bryce Young (Image Credits: L-via AP, R-via IMAGO)
The future of the 2023 Draft’s first pick is in jeopardy. The Carolina Panthers have opted to bench quarterback Bryce Young after his continued string of underwhelming performances as reported by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. The team will be going into its Week 3 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders with veteran Andy Dalton as the starter.
The decision comes a day after head coach Dave Canales confidently stated that Bryce Young will continue to be the Panthers starting quarterback in Week 3 after his forgettable performance against the Chargers.
Bryce is our quarterback. We're going to continue to shore and fix the things we need to fundamentally, from a scheme standpoint, all those things.Dave Canales was quoted saying via ESPN
The sophomore quarterback threw for just 84 yards and had his third interception of the season on Sunday. Week 1 was no easy ride either as Bryce Young struggled against the Saints throwing for 161 yards and 2 interceptions.
He is yet to throw a touchdown this season. It is surprising to see the 0-2 Panthers pull the plug on Young this early on in the season. Usually, the decision to bench a starting QB is one that teams prefer to make in Weeks 4 through 6.
Bryce Young’s rookie season struggles have carried on into his second year
Through two weeks, the quarterback has completed 31 of 56 passes for a total of 244 yards. Since the offense has struggled, opponents have managed to walk all over them with the team being outscored 73-13 after just 2 games.
The Panthers’ decision to trade up in the 2023 NFL Draft has yet to offer any returns. After several deliberations and comparisons, they opted to stick with Bryce Young over C.J. Stroud and ended up giving wideout DJ Moore and four draft picks to the Chicago Bears in exchange for the first overall pick. Since then, the team is 2-16. Last season, they ended up at the bottom of the NFL after winning just two games and losing 15.
In stark contrast to Young, the second overall pick C.J. Stroud has excelled. The quarterback made an immediate impact on the Houston Texans and established himself as one of the top floor generals in the league after he led them to the playoffs in his rookie year. It is not clear if the Panthers intend to bench Young for the rest of the season or for a few weeks. That is a decision the team will ponder over based on the performance of veteran Andy Dalton.
36-year-old Andy Dalton started one game for the Panthers last season and recorded two touchdowns and one interception. It will be up to him to save the Panthers from having yet another terrible season. Carolina has ended up on the losing side of the trade to bring Bryce Young aboard. The team still owes a 2025 second-round pick to the Bears as part of the trade.
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Sumedh Joshi
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