Bryce Young Benched For Andy Dalton, As Panthers Continue To Fail At QB

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Any way you look at the benching of Bryce Young by the Carolina Panthers on Monday, it’s a disaster. And a failure. 

And that’s some of its better points.

Panthers coach Dave Canales has decided to bench the second-year quarterback, according to multiple reports, one day after he repeatedly insisted to that Young is the team’s quarterback.

“This is something after I watched the film,” Canales said on Monday. “I looked at it. Had a thought. Started working on talking to the that guys we make decisions with. Certainly a lot of parties involved there. And, ultimately, this comes on me and my No. 1 responsibility is to help the Panthers win and so this move I believe puts us in the best chance to do that this week.”

Canales Said Bryce Is The QB

Canales declined to say if Panthers owner David Tepper had a say in the changing of the quarterback, instead saying he wants to keep that private.

But Canales definitely had a seismic shift in thinking since Sunday evening, following the team’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

“Bryce is our quarterback,” Canales said after that game. “We’re going to just continue to shore up and fix the things we need to fundamentally, from a scheme standpoint, all those things. These are all valuable reps, all valuable games. We’ll learn a lot from this game and hopefully will take another step (next) week.”

Well, the Panthers are taking one step on Monday. Canales told the quarterbacks of the move in a meeting on Monday.

And it’s hard to argue it is not a step toward getting some functional play at quarterback because Young has struggled the first two games of this season after struggling last season.

Bryce Young Stats Pretty Awful

Young currently has the lowest quarterback rating in the NFL (44.1). 

He has the second-lowest passing yards per game average (122.5).

He has the second-lowest yards per attempt average (4.4).

He has the fifth-lowest completion percentage (55.4).

So, frankly, Young has played poorly.

But this benching in favor of veteran Andy Dalton is not reflective of Young’s failures alone.

It’s a failure of the Carolina Panthers. The entire organization. Top to bottom.

Panthers Are Terrible With QBs

Because the Carolina Panthers have been and continue to be a quarterback-killing organization.

I remind you the Carolina Panthers brought in Sam Darnold a few years ago. He failed. That was the same Sam Darnold that is 2-0 with the Minnesota Vikings now.

The Panthers brought in Baker Mayfield to compete with, but really, to replace Darnold one year later. He failed. The same Baker Mayfield who took the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the playoffs last year and whose team is 2-0 this year.

The Panthers hired Matt Rhule as coach to fix their offense and, obviously, their quarterback situation years ago. He was eventually fired. The same Matt Rhule who is 3-0 as the Nebraska head coach this year.

Bryce Pick Failed From Start

The Panthers traded heaven and earth to be able to trade up to the No. 1 overall selection to pick Young in the 2023 draft. The Panthers picked Young ahead of eventually offensive rookie of the year C.J. Stroud.

They did that under a different head coach (Frank Reich) and different general manager (Scott Fitterer). Both were fired by the time Young’s rookie season was over.

The Panthers hired Canales to come in and fix Young. After all, he helped Geno Smith rise from backup to solid NFL starter in Seattle. He also helped Mayfield find himself in Tampa last year.

And now the new coach brought in to fix Young is dumping Young.

Andy Dalton Isn’t The Answer

For what? 

Andy Dalton.

Dalton, a solid but not great NFL quarterback, is not going to save this Panthers’ season. His teams have a 6-9 record in his 15 starts the past two seasons.

The Panthers are not going to suddenly go from 0-2 to competing with the New Orleans Saints or Buccaneers for a playoff berth with Dalton or Young at quarterback.

This season was supposed to be about seeing if Young could be a guy. And two games in, Canales has decided he cannot?

And now the narrative: When he speaks to the media, Canales will likely talk about letting Young take a step back to perhaps see things in a different perspective. To learn. To improve.

Young’s Replacement On The Way

Everyone knows that’s a crock.

What does it mean when a new coach not tied to the quarterback because he didn’t draft the guy benches that QB? That is a message that Canales wants a new QB after this season.

So the Panthers and their middling offensive line and middling playmaker talent will deliver middling results under their new middling quarterback going forward. And that will only hurt their chances of having a top pick in next year’s draft.

That doesn’t mean they’ve solved their quarterback issues. 

That only means they’re apparently quitting on Bryce Young.