The Carolina Panthers are making a major change under center. After Bryce Young had his latest poor performance during the team’s 26-3 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, Panthers coach Dave Canales announced that the team would bench the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and put veteran journeyman Andy Dalton under center going forward.
“I watched the film, I had a thought in mind, we all talked and I had to make the decision that was best for the team,” Canales said, per David Newton of ESPN. “I certainly take it personal. This is about building a culture, this is about building a football team that plays to a certain style, and that’s my main focus. And above all, it’s to help the Panthers to win. So that’s what the decision was about.”
The decision apparently came out of left field, as multiple reports indicate that Young was “very shocked” by his move to the bench. The 2021 Heisman Trophy winner out of the University of Alabama, Young has had about as bad of a start to life in the NFL as you could imagine, as he had a brutal rookie season and hasn’t shown signs of taking a step forward during his second year in the league — if anything, the concerns about his lack of size and arm strength that followed him into the league seem to be even bigger problems during his sophomore campaign.
So far in his career, the Panthers are 2-16 when Young starts a game, while he’s completed 59.3 percent of his passes with 11 touchdowns to 13 interceptions — he has not thrown for a touchdown this year, although he has found the end zone once on the ground. Carolina made it a point to acquire Young in the 2023 NFL Draft, as they made a major move from No. 9 to No. 1 to select him over Houston Texans signal caller CJ Stroud. The team gave up standout wide receiver D.J. Moore and a bevy of draft capital, with the Bears using the No. 1 overall pick in 2024 to select another former Heisman winner, Caleb Williams out of USC.
