Sept. 19 – Bryce Young is no longer Carolina’s starting quarterback, but the Panthers aren’t ready to move him just yet.
That was the message from Carolina head coach Dave Canales on Wednesday, two days after he announced veteran Andy Dalton would not play in this week’s game against the host Las Vegas Raiders.
Young and the Panthers (0-2) lost 26-3 to the visiting Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, giving the second-year quarterback just two wins in 18 NFL games. Carolina selected the former Heisman Trophy winner out of Alabama with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft.
Asked if the Panthers would be willing to trade Young to another team, Canales said: “We are not considering it. Our quarterback situation is very good now because we have experienced players. We are happy with our situation and all the players are training hard.
Canales praised Young’s efforts as the No. 2 quarterback on Wednesday.
“I’ve got to get back to work,” the coach said. “He went deep into the game plan. We talked about it in the quarterback room, talked about reads, talked about what we were looking for from the defense. He was out there and made some great throws.
“As I expected, he went back to work immediately.”
The coach said of Young’s future: “This is a development-oriented program, so the development didn’t stop (when he was removed from the starting job). Every rep, we evaluate the whole thing, talk. And we’re inspiring everybody, including Bryce, to take the next step.
Young, 23, has completed 55.4 percent of his passes for 245 yards this year, no touchdowns and three interceptions. Last year, he completed 59.8 percent of his passes for 2,877 yards, 11 touchdowns and 10 picks.
Dalton, 36, was a starter for the Cincinnati Bengals for nine seasons and has since started for the Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints and Carolina. The three-time Pro Bowler has attempted just one pass this year and didn’t complete it.
——Visual-level media
