Carolina Panthers bench former first-round pick in NFL Draft

The Carolina Panthers have benched quarterback Bryce Young, Carolina coach Dave Canales announced Monday. Backup Andy Dalton will start when the Panthers face the Las Vegas Raiders in a Week 3 game on Sunday.

The trade of the first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft came after just two games, against the New Orleans Saints and the LA Chargers, which the Panthers lost by a combined score of 73-13.

“My main responsibility is to help the Panthers win, and this move gives us the best chance to do that,” Canales told reporters Monday. “Andy gives us our best chance to win this week.”

The decision was a reversal for Canales, who had said after the loss to the Chargers that Young would remain QB1. However, he changed his mind after watching film of the game. What he saw was another terrible performance from Young.

He only managed 84 yards on 18 successful passes. He threw an interception in double coverage and threw several yards to a completely free Adam Thielen on a third-and-2 play – two examples of an ongoing problem with the quarterback.

Young has completed 31 of 56 passes for 245 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions in 2024. He has a 55% completion rate and averages just 4.4 yards per attempt. His numbers in 2023 – he has completed 59.8% of his passes for 2,877 yards, 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions with a 73.7 passer rating in 16 games – were slightly better, but he has a 2-16 record as a starter over the past two seasons.