Carolina Panthers coach Dave Canales said he “absolutely” believes Bryce Young can still be a franchise quarterback. He also mentioned that the team is not planning to trade the 2023 No. 1 overall pick after recently benching him.
“That’s not something we are really considering,” Canales said about the trade rumors surrounding Young. “We have a great situation with our quarterbacks right now with guys that have experience. We love where we are at and it’s all hands on deck.”
Andy Dalton will start in Sunday’s Week 3 game against Las Vegas. The 36-year-old veteran quarterback walked onto the practice field on Wednesday with a big smile, even stopping to sign a football for a fan.
Dalton took all the first-team reps while Young worked with the scout team. Canales noted that Young approached practice professionally as he has all season.
“He went right back to work,” Canales said. “Dove into the game plan. We had our conversations in the QB room just going around and talking about reads and what we see from the defense.
He followed that up with a great day on the field with some great throws. It was exactly what I expected of him.”
Young, who has a 2-16 record as a starter, will be the team’s backup quarterback for the first time in his career. The 2021 Heisman Trophy winner did not speak to reporters during the open locker room session after his demotion.
Running back Miles Sanders, who was benched last year in Carolina, showed his support for Young.
“Anyone who gets benched isn’t going to feel right,” Sanders said. “If anyone knows what he is going through, it’s me. But it’s definitely not over for him. He’s still a young quarterback and he is definitely going to get another opportunity.
I would say keep your head down and keep working and learn from it.”
The Panthers (0-2) are searching for a boost in their offense after being outscored 73-13 in two games, with a particularly tough first half where they were outscored 53-3.
Young has had difficulties with his decision-making and accuracy, throwing three interceptions without any touchdown passes. The Panthers have only converted 2 out of 12 third downs.
Dalton, who is 36 years old, has experienced both being benched for poor performance and stepping in for a struggling starter during his 14-year NFL career. He mentioned that Young is managing the situation well.
“Bryce has been awesome,” Dalton said. “It’s a tough situation for everybody.
I have a different perspective because I have felt it on both sides. … It’s hard, it’s tough, but you find the little things that you can focus on to get better and you continue to do what you can do. You focus on what you can control and the rest will take care of itself.”
Veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen, who showed some frustration during the team’s 26-3 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers by shouting in frustration, stated that players still believe in Young.
“The teammate he is, the player he is, the coaches and players all feel the same way,” Thielen said. “This was just their decision that they felt this was the best thing that would help us win, give us a chance on Sunday.
As players you just show up and give your best effort. “We also love Andy,” he added.
Dalton passed for 361 yards and two touchdowns in his only start last year when Young was injured, although the Panthers lost 37-27 to Seattle. He has a career record of 83-78-2 as an NFL starter, with 246 touchdown passes and 144 interceptions.
Canales mentioned that Dalton looked good in his first practice with the starting team and effectively managed getting the players in and out of the huddle.
He hopes Dalton’s experience will be beneficial against what he described as a “sophisticated” Raiders defense.
“It’s super valuable,” Canales said. “It really helps against some of the things that they have been doing.”
The Panthers haven’t thrown deep much this season, and Canales, who is also the team’s offensive play-caller, stated that this needs to improve. “We need to be more aggressive on offense,” Canales said.
