The Carolina Panthers made the difficult decision to bench second-year quarterback Bryce Young just 18 games into his NFL career after the team looked lost on offense to start the 2024 season. The Panthers named veteran passer Andy Dalton the starting QB for Carolina’s Week Three matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders. The three-time Pro Bowler looked terrific in his first start since Week Three of 2023, getting Carolina its first win of the season.
Young was reportedly “pissed” about his benching. But the sophomore passer proved to be a good teammate. Despite being disappointed over losing his starting gig, Young congratulated Dalton on his stellar performance after the Panthers’ Week Three win over the Raiders, according to TMZ.
Young could be seen embracing his fellow quarterback, celebrating Dalton’s remarkable day. The Red Rifle lit up Las Vegas, going 26/37 for 319 yards and three touchdowns without committing a turnover in the Panthers decisive 36-22 win.
Bryce Young has supported teammate Andy Dalton after surprise benching
While some view Young’s benching as premature, the quarterback has struggled mightily this season. In his two games as the Panthers’ starter, Young threw for a combined total of 245 yards – 74 yards less than Dalton had in Week Three alone. Young had also failed to throw a touchdown over the first two weeks of the season while he tossed three interceptions. The former first-round pick did score on the ground – the lone touchdown in the Panthers 47-10 beatdown at the hands of the New Orleans Saints in the season opener.
The Panthers selected Young with the first overall pick in the 2023 draft. After a rough first season as the team’s starter in which he had more turnovers (16) than touchdowns (11) Carolina expected Young to make a major leap in his second year. Young failed to impress in his first two starts and the team turned to Dalton.
The 36-year-old former TCU standout spent the first nine seasons of his career with the Cincinnati Bengals. Since then, he’s bounced from team to team functioning as a capable backup. Given another chance to start, Dalton made the most of his opportunity. The Panthers will, unsurprisingly, stick with the veteran signal caller as the team’s starter.
Simply replacing Young with Dalton under center does not make the Panthers a playoff contender. That’s especially true now that the team has lost veteran wideout Adam Thielen to the IR with a hamstring injury. Still, Carolina is in a better position offensively with Dalton starting. As receiver Diontae Johnson pointed out, simply having a quarterback capable of getting the offense in position and executing plays is a major step up for the struggling team. Now if Dalton could only play defense, the Panthers might really have something.
