Smolar The Carolina Panthers have quickly established themselves as the laughingstock of the NFL just two weeks into the season. That is not breaking news, this is a team that after all had an NFL worst 2-15 record a season ago and was ranked at or near the bottom of most sportsbooks in Super Bowl odds for this year. That being said, the decision made on Monday by Carolina to bench Bryce Young in favor of Andy Dalton is one that is such a head-scratcher you wouldn’t even expect the Panthers to make such an obvious mistake. Even for a franchise that has made several questionable decisions over the past couple of years, coming up with a legitimate reason that Head Coach Dave Canales would think this is a good idea is hard to do.
To fully understand how stupid this move is, you have to backtrack to what Carolina gave up to the Chicago Bears so they could draft Young first overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. In addition to swapping first round picks with Chicago in that draft, the Panthers also sent D.J. Moore, a 2023 2nd-round pick, a 2024 1st-round pick and a 2025-2nd round pick. The Bears have so far used those picks to take Darnell Wright, Tyrique Stevenson and Caleb Williams. Saying the Panthers got fleeced would be a massive understatement. It’s very possible this goes down as the most lopsided trade in NFL history, especially now that Young isn’t even the starting quarterback in Carolina.
When a team gives up so much for any player, the pressure for that guy to deliver naturally rises and Young was no exception. He was supposed to be the next franchise quarterback for a team that has struggled to find a solution at the game’s most important position ever since Cam Newton left. With a Heisman Trophy on his resume, the talent was clearly there for Young to at least give the Panthers a piece to evaluate for the future. Even after a disastrous rookie season, it wasn’t unreasonable to feel some minor optimism heading into his sophomore year with Canales bringing in a supposedly better system and more weapons in the form of Diontae Johnson and Xavier Legette among others.
We are now two weeks into the season and Young has not improved at all as their offense has looked absolutely atrocious in two blowout losses to the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Chargers. Going 31-56 throwing the ball for 245 yards with no touchdowns, three interceptions and a passer rating of 44.1 in two games is simply awful no matter how you slice it. How much of this is Young’s fault compared to Carolina’s? It will be tough for those on the side of Young because C.J. Stroud went right after him and has been a star in Houston from day one. On the other hand, watching Baker Mayfield undergo a career renaissance with the Bucs and Sam Darnold suddenly look like a capable starting NFL quarterback in Minnesota is not a good look for the Panthers.
The reality is part of the blame has to go to both sides; Young absolutely has to show more promise than he has thus far, but Carolina has been a dumpster fire for a while now. It’s hard to give them the benefit of the doubt considering their history of trading stars like Christian McCaffrey, Moore and Brian Burns in their primes while giving up more 1st-round picks than they received in return. Thinking Stroud or any quarterback in the NFL would fix the Panthers right now is a foolish thought.
Canales has said to the media that he is benching Young because he thinks Dalton gives them the best chance to win. Anybody who has watched Dalton throughout his 14-year career will know that he is incredibly average and at almost 37 years old isn’t about to suddenly turn back the clock. Does Dalton provide Carolina a slight upgrade in the short term? He does, no question about it but this season was never about winning, no matter what members of the Panthers organization tried to tell you. It was about developing Young and seeing if Canales could bring a much-needed culture reset in Carolina.
It’s not going to be possible to properly evaluate Young while he’s riding the bench nor is he going to learn anything sitting behind Dalton. Even if Dalton magically plays out of his mind and turns their season around, he’s not going to be a long-term option for the Panthers because of his age. Canales is giving mixed signals to Young by saying he’s their guy and then doing this. It’s never a good idea to give mixed signals to your supposed franchise quarterback and this move is undoubtedly going to kill any confidence Young might have had left.
If Canales wanted to move on from Young after his second year in the league because he simply wanted a different quarterback, that would be one thing but benching him after just two games, albeit disastrous ones, is a baffling move because it gives him no chance to make any strides in the new system. The reality is nobody knows what’s next for Carolina after this. Moving on from Young just two years after taking him first overall is certainly not what they had in mind but there’s minimal upside to having Dalton take his place especially if you plan on keeping him after 2024. The good news for Panthers fans if there is any is that they’ll actually be able to pick whoever they want first overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.
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