Sept. 19 (UPI) — First-year coach Dave Canales says the Carolina Panthers “have a great situation” with their quarterbacks, despite benching starter Bryce Young. He also said the Panthers are not considering trading Young.
Canales spoke Wednesday night, hours after the news that the Panthers (0-2) would bench Young, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Canales said replacing Young with veteran Andy Dalton gives the Panthers the best chance to win.
“We have a great situation with our quarterbacks right now with guys that have experience,” Canales told reporters. “We love where we are at, and it’s all hands on deck.”
Young completed 31 of 56 passes (55.4%) for 245 yards through his first two games this season. He threw three interceptions and failed to log a touchdown toss. The Panthers have the league’s worst offense, in terms of points scored and yards gained. They also allowed the most points (73) on defense.
Canales said “Bryce is our quarterback,” when asked Sunday if he considered bringing in Dalton during the Panthers’ Week 2 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. He responded with the same statement when asked Sunday if Young would start in Week 3.
“Bryce is our quarterback,” Canales said. “We are going to just continue to just shore up and fix the things we need to fundamentally, from a scheme standpoint. These are all valuable reps. These are all valuable games. We will learn a lot from this game. Hopefully, we’ll take another step this week.”
The Panthers coach said less than 24 hours later that he “had to watch the film” after the loss before deciding to bench Young.
“I watched the film, gathered the information and made the best decision for the team, especially for the offense of what is going to put us in the best place to be successful this week,” Canales said.
Canales said the Panthers currently don’t plan to add another quarterback to their roster. Jack Plummer is on the Panthers’ practice squad.
Young completed 59.3% of his throws for 3,122 yards, 11 scores and 13 interceptions through his first 18 career starts. He is 2-16 as a starter.
Dalton, a 14-year veteran, is 83-78-2 as a starter. He appeared in just one game last season for the Panthers.
Dalton completed 58.6% of his throws for 361 yards and two scores over three appearances for the Panthers in 2023. He completed 66.7% of his throws for 2,871 yards, 18 scores and nine interceptions over 14 starts for the New Orleans Saints in 2022.
“It’s a tough situation on everybody,” Dalton told reporters Wednesday when asked about replacing Young. “I have a different perspective of it because I’ve felt it on both sides. Bryce and I’s friendship goes beyond who is the one out there and it will continue that way.”
Back in the saddle pic.twitter.com/dloDHDsiMD— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) September 18, 2024
The Panthers will face the Las Vegas Raiders at 4:05 p.m. EDT Sunday in Las Vegas. They will host the Cincinnati Bengals — one of Dalton’s former teams — on Sept. 29 in Charlotte, N.C.
