Bryce Young’s benching has been a positive for the Carolina Panthers in the short term.
But the big picture is what will matter most. It doesn’t come close to improving clarity.
Young’s replacement is Andy Dalton, who did his part by throwing three touchdown passes in Sunday’s 36-22 win at Las Vegas.
Combined with Carolina’s first win of the season, the best part of the Panthers narrative suddenly shifted to Dalton’s success and away from Young’s struggles.
Remember, Young was named by owner David Tepper as the quarterback who would guide the Panthers back to prominence—for those with fond memories, the franchise had success—when he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft out of Alabama.
Two games into Young’s second pro season, the Panthers weren’t willing to wait any longer, turning their backs on Young and giving Dalton the reins at quarterback.
The idea that this could be a temporary arrangement has lost hope with Sunday’s result.
For their part, Young and Dalton said all the right things over the past week.
Dalton, in his 14th NFL season, sounded sad about the excitement of getting back to the starting lineup. He wasn’t sure he’d get that chance again as he’s been a journeyman since parting ways with the Cincinnati Bengals, where his career flourished at times.
After the result in Las Vegas, Dalton’s happiness could not be hidden.
“It’s a lot of fun if you haven’t had it in a while,” Dalton said.
Young took the first approach to the team after the decision.
“I’m just trying to be the best version of myself and do whatever I can to help the team,” Young said. “… (As a competitor), obviously it’s not something you dream of, that you think will happen.”
Even Sunday wasn’t all stressful given what preceded that trip to Las Vegas. The Panthers scored a combined 10 points in their first two games, unable to create any offensive flow with the ball in Young’s hands.
So even as first-year head coach Dave Canales got his first NFL win, there was some reflection on what all of this might mean for the Panthers and their QB, who was supposed to be the cornerstone of the future.
“It’s a really tough week, with all aspects,” Canales said.
In Young’s defense, he didn’t seem surrounded by a great supporting offense, although Dalton’s quiet manner might suggest otherwise. The Panthers have worked under three head coaches in a span of two seasons, certainly not providing Young, or any young player, with much stability. They turned in an NFL-worst 2-15 record last year.
This season, the Panthers were a league-worst 9.1% (2-for-22) on third down conversions in the two games with Young at the helm. In two games this month, Young was 31-for-56 for 245 yards and three touchdowns.
Dalton threw for 319 yards without an interception for the Raiders. And perhaps even better for the Panthers is that the attention can shift away from the Minor title for at least another week.
That’s because Dalton not only became part of the success story again, but he’ll get the start Sunday against the Bengals, who travel to Charlotte. The built-in connection between Dalton and the Bengals will be a welcome distraction from the bigger issues the Panthers still have to deal with.
It’s easy to keep Young, who was at center during Sunday’s pregame coin flip as one of Carolina’s captains, on the sidelines for now. But the Panthers are left with one injury since Young was forced to return to the field.
So this story will have a few more chapters.