Panthers benching former first overall pick Bryce Young

CHARLOTTE ( CHARLOTTE SPORTS LIVE ) — Panthers fans will see a change at quarterback after two blowout losses to start the season.

“We feel like Andy gives us our best chance to win,” head coach Dave Canales said on Monday while addressing the media following the news that the team will bench Bryce Young in Week 3.

Veteran Andy Dalton will go under center instead of the player Carolina mortgaged its future for to draft a year ago.

“This is the best decision for our group, for our team,” Canales said. Canales stressed that his job is to do what puts the Panthers in the best ways to be successful and this is a reflection of that.

Young, the first overall pick in 2023, has led the Panthers to only 13 points across two games in 2024 while losing by an average margin of 30 points.

Young and the Panthers only have 245 pass yards this season; that’s the lowest in the NFL.

In the 19 games since the Panthers drafted Young, they have only won two. On Sunday afternoon, after the Panthers’ 26-3 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, head coach Canales said “Bryce is our quarterback,” when responding to a question regarding a switch at the position.

This is Dalton’s second season in Carolina. In 2023, he played in three games with one start and had 361 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions on 58.6% passing. Dalton is a three-time Pro Bowler who previously spent time in Cincinnati, Dallas, Chicago and New Orleans.

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