The Carolina Panthers won’t start Bryce Young in Thursday’s opener against the New England Patriots. That unsurprising decision emerged on Tuesday afternoon amid the usual NFL news cycle. Panthers head coach Dave Canales is one of many coaches who will have to hold off on putting their starters in for Week 1.
Canales spoke to reporters about the decision to sit his starting quarterback Tuesday.
“You can’t play scared, but you have to be smart,” he said. Panthers reporter Joe Person quoted Canales’ assessment of the situation.
Dave Canales on whether risk of injury with Bryce Young outweighs the pluses of playing him in the preseason: You can’t play scared but you have to be smart.
— Joe Person (@josephperson) August 6, 2024
Obviously, the Panthers not rolling Young out in Week 1 is nothing but standard protocol. Most, if not all teams, won’t deploy their starting offenses in Week 1. Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams still has to wait his turn even after the Chicago Bears debuted last week. A nationwide audience saw Brett Rypien dot up the field instead of the highly-touted rookie. If he won’t see the field, nobody will.
Don’t expect the starters to finally hit the scene until later this preseason. Like Canales said, it’s about being smart. And the smart thing is to keep waiting.
