On Monday, the Carolina Panthers made the difficult decision to bench former No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young after only 18 total starts in the NFL. And it turns out, fans weren’t the only ones that were perhaps surprised by this rather abrupt move.
Thus far, Young has failed to show much growth in his second NFL season, completing just 55 percent of his passes in the team’s first two games. On top of that, he has thrown three interceptions without a single passing touchdown on the year.
This has resulted in an 0-2 start for the Panthers and a change of quarterback as the team prepares for their Week 3 game against the Las Vegas Raiders. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Andy Dalton will start over Young in Week 3.
Panthers are benching former No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young, per sources.
Andy Dalton is Carolina’s new QB1. pic.twitter.com/HClZWCEqOM
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 16, 2024
It’s a much shorter leash than most assumed Young would get. Among those who didn’t see this coming is Young himself, according to ESPN’s Panthers reporter David Newton.
A league source told me Panthers’ quarterback Bryce Young didn’t see the decision by coach Dave Canales to bench him coming.
— David Newton (@DNewtonespn) September 16, 2024
Based on performance alone, the decision does make sense. The Panthers have looked completely lost with Young under center both last season and at the start of this season.
However, the move makes it hard to go back to Young anytime soon. So it will sure be interesting to see how the rest of Young’s career goes in Carolina, or perhaps elsewhere.
