The Carolina Panthers made a surprising decision to bench their struggling quarterback Bryce Young, the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, for the Week 3 game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
According to Panthers’ head coach Dave Canales, veteran Andy Dalton is getting the nod under center for the Raiders game.
After he had a dreadful rookie season, the Panthers have hoped Young will make a leap in his second year as a pro under the guidance of Canales. But throughout the first two games of 2024, the former Alabama product arguably looked even worse.
Young completed just 55.4% of his passes so far in the season while throwing for 245 yards and zero touchdowns. He also had three interceptions and led an offense that only managed to score 13 points.
Even with Young struggling, Canales insisted after Sunday’s 26-3 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers that he isn’t thinking about making a change at QB. However, after watching the game film, the first-year head coach made a decision to shake things up.
“Ultimately this comes on me,” Canales said while explaining his decision. “My number one responsibility is to help the Panthers win. This move puts us in the best position to do that this week.”
In Dalton, the Panthers get a reliable QB who has shown he can perform well in all sorts of conditions. Dalton has an 83-78-2 record as a starter and has thrown for 38,511 yards, 246 touchdowns, and 141 interceptions over the course of his career.
Dalton’s most recent start in the NFL came with the Panthers last season when he threw for 361 yards and two TDs in a 27-37 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
