‘Weird year’ getting stranger for Bryce Young and Panthers  

TROY HULL | THE CHARLOTTE POST

After losing the starting quarterback job two games into the season, Bryce Young returns to the Panthers lineup for Sunday's game at Denver.

Dave Canales looked bewildered. The Carolina Panthers’ first-year coach listened Wednesday to a reporter ask if he had ever experienced so much, so soon during a football season.

Canales’ eyes widened. He grinned. “I can honestly say, no, I have not.”

At that moment, Canales’ mind must have been bombarded with memory flashes of his nearly 10 months in Charlotte:

• Nearly an entire roster was overhauled with at least 76 moves before the first full-squad training camp practice.

• The team plane skidded off the runway following the Panthers’ first preseason game in August. No one was injured. Not yet.

• Preseason player injuries, which decimated the depth of an already thin 53-man roster.

• Starting quarterback Bryce Young imploded during the opening two weeks.

• Mounting regular-season injuries, which left the defense without six of their starting front seven during last Sunday’s 40-7 loss to the host Washington Commanders.

• On Tuesday, quarterback Andy Dalton sprained his right thumb during an automobile accident while picking up his three children from school.

“Yeah, it’s been a weird year for sure,” guard Robert Hunt said.

In the moments after learning of Dalton’s accident and that all parties escaped serious injury, Canales and the coaching staff’s attention turned back to Young, who will start Sunday at the Denver Broncos.

Young takes command of struggling offense

Dalton’s injury created an opportunity for Young, the 2023 top-overall draft pick, to re-assume command of the NFL’s No. 28-ranked offense. Through seven games, the 1-6 Panthers average 281.6 yards per game. Last season, with Young drawing 16 starts, the offense ranked last, averaging 265.3 ypg.

Standing in front of his locker Wednesday, Young pointed to his confidence level in handling the No. 1 unit at practice. Dalton, who was listed day-to-day, watched in street clothes. Undrafted rookie Jack Plummer will serve as the backup if Dalton is unable to dress Sunday.

“It doesn’t feel different,” Young said. “It’s football. It’s a game, the same game that I've been playing and that we've been playing. So, again, it’s the same practice field and the same meetings.”
Will that mean similar results?

As a rookie under constant pressure, Young went 2-14, often abandoning his second and third reads early and failing to create on the fly. He was sacked 62 times and completed just 38% of passes under pressure.

This season, Young looked out of sync from his first pass, which was intercepted by New Orleans Saints safety Will Harris. After two disappointing starts, Canales announced Dalton would start Week 3 at the Las Vegas Raiders. The 14-year veteran initially provided a spark, leading the Panthers to their lone win during his season debut, before dropping the last four starts.

During his time running the scout team during practices, Young remained focused and vocal, Canales said.  

“He’s been an absolute stud through this whole process,” Canales said. “He’s been engaged and involved in what we're doing and excited about this opportunity. And I’m fired up for him to just have another opportunity to get in there and play some football."

Canales: ‘Hard times create perseverance’

Will it be quality football?

When he was benched, Young registered a 9.1 adjusted quarterback rating and a 44.1 passer rating. He ranked last among qualified QBs in both categories, according to Pro Football Reference. He guided the offense to just 13 points through eight quarters.

In four appearances, Young, 23, has completed 37-of-65 passes for 297 yards, zero touchdowns and three interceptions. In relief of Dalton last Sunday, Young completed both attempts but lost four yards.

Following his first padded workout running the first team, Young talked about “doing everything I can to help the team win ... doing everything I can do to contribute and follow the game plan.”

Panthers’ fans, sensing another lost season, were beginning to call for Young to regain the No. 1 role. Against the Commanders, Dalton compiled just 93 passing yards and threw two interceptions, including a pick-six.

Young’s benching was not abnormal in NFL history. Most quarterbacks, even Hall of Famers, struggle early in their careers. Just look at the starts this season of recent ex-Panthers signal-callers like Minnesota’s Sam Darnold and Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield. Canales tested Young with the early season quarterback change. The fan base remains curious to see if he grew from the experience as much as Canales believes he did.

“I just know that hard times create perseverance, perseverance builds character, and I look around the staff, I look around our guys and I just see a bunch of people just going back to work and really just chasing these moments, these opportunities that we have,” Canales said. “So, for me to see that, it encourages me too, and it also just I know that we will come out stronger from this.”

Will Young in his second chance as the Panthers’ franchise QB?

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