Carolina Panthers bench Bryce Young, plan to start Andy Dalton

The Carolina Panthers are benching former No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young, deciding to start veteran Andy Dalton in Week 3 instead, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

While Young was drafted to be the savior of the Panthers, it’s been one disaster after another for Carolina since he was handed the keys. At 0-2 and not looking particularly competitive in either game, first-year coach Dave Canales is moving to the veteran.

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“Sources: The #Panthers are benching former No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young and starting veteran Andy Dalton beginning this week,” Pelissero posted on X. “Coach Dave Canales has repeatedly said ‘Bryce is our quarterback.’ But with the season quickly slipping away, Canales decided to make a change.”

Through two games on the season, Young has passed for 245 yards, zero touchdowns and three interceptions. This certainly isn’t the end for Young as a starting quarterback in the NFL, and he’ll get another shot, be it in Carolina or with another team, but the Panthers believe Dalton gives them a better shot to get out of the doldrums at the moment.

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Regardless, after winning the Heisman Trophy and becoming one of the top quarterbacks in the history of the Alabama Crimson Tide, the NFL has been a major disappointment for Young thus far, and his career will hit a new low in Week 3.

More on Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers

Prior to the season, Bryce Young seemed ready to master Dave Canales‘ offense for the Carolina Panthers, as the sophomore quarterback looked to change the narrative surrounding him. 

While Young came into the NFL out of Alabama with a ton of hype, a subpar rookie season had him looking to bounce back in 2024. Speaking with the media earlier this year, Canales took some time to explain how his quarterback can get a firm grip on the offense, and become the leader Carolina drafted him to be.

“Really, it’s just functioning, right?” the Panthers head coach responded, regarding what mastering the offense will look like for his quarterback. “So, it’s the pre-snap mechanics, of getting us up to the line, getting us to the right plays in the run game, in the pass game. It’s about throwing it to that first open guy within the time that we want. And then, when the pocket breaks apart, extending and making those extra plays, you know. So he’s showing all those things, but I still think, just in terms of getting our group polished, we’re not there yet. 

“We still have to — we still have strides to make as an offense as a whole. I want all of our groups, particularly the first group, to be able to function, so it just looks like a really fine tuned machine. We’re not quite there right now, in that regard, but I love the understanding that we have right now with our concepts, I love the execution part of it. You know, I just think that there’s another step, in terms of getting up there quickly, being able to use our tools.”

Evidently, Young didn’t show those tools through two weeks, and Dave Canales is making a change. Time will tell when the former top pick gets another shot, and whether or not it’s in Carolina.