Bryce Young will stay as Carolina’s starting quarterback, although his long-term future with the team is still uncertain.
Panthers coach Dave Canales said after Wednesday’s practice that Young will start again on Sunday in Germany against the New York Giants, making it his third straight start.
Young, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft, led the Panthers to a 23-22 comeback win over the New Orleans Saints last weekend — his first win since last December — which improved his record to 3-17 as an NFL starter.
Young will start in Munich, even though Andy Dalton, who replaced Young in Week 3 and started five games before getting hurt in a car crash, is healthy. Dalton had a sprained right thumb from the accident.
“This is about progress from one week to the next,” Canales explained. “I talk about finishing all of the time. That’s finishing plays, drives, quarters, halves, and games. He did a fantastic job of finishing that game.”
However, Canales did not say whether Young will start beyond this week. Earlier this season, when Canales made Dalton the starter after two games, he said it was because the 37-year-old veteran gave the Panthers the best chance to win.
When asked if Young now gives the Panthers the best chance to win, Canales didn’t answer directly.
Canales has never publicly committed to Young’s long-term role with the team, and neither has general manager Dan Morgan.
Morgan said the Panthers are seeing growth in Young and are excited to see him keep developing under Canales, but he stopped short of saying Young is the team’s quarterback of the future.
“At the end of the day, we’ll have those conversations once the season ends and we’ll see where we’re at,” Morgan said.
The Panthers recently traded wide receivers Diontae Johnson and Jonathan Mingo — a second-round pick from the 2023 draft — before the NFL trade deadline. However, Morgan mentioned that while he did receive trade calls about quarterback Bryce Young before Tuesday’s deadline, he never thought about trading him.
“We never got into any discussions,” Morgan explained. “I never opened that door. I didn’t want to trade Bryce and still don’t. I am committed to working with him and helping him grow and develop.”
The Panthers (2-7) are tied with eight other teams for the fewest wins in the league, and they could end up with a top-five pick in the 2025 draft. This could give them a chance to select one of the best college quarterbacks available.
When asked if the Panthers might use a high first-round pick next April on a quarterback, Morgan responded, “I will consider everything.”
“I am going to have an open mind,” Morgan added. “I talk about it all of the time and discuss it with the guys in the building. We are going to draft really good football players.
Whatever position that is, I don’t know, but we are going to draft really good football players who are going to help our team moving forward.”
Bryce Young doesn’t seem affected by the lack of commitment the franchise has shown to him. When asked if he uses that as motivation, Young said he is “intrinsically motivated.”
“Relying on external motivation is not something that I have ever believed in,” Young explained. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Just personally, I have never wanted to rely on ‘what if someone does this; what if someone does that?’ That is against my belief. I care about this game enough to where that is enough motivation for me.”
