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Carolina Panthers Benching Bryce Young Soon?
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- Carolina Panthers Benching Bryce Young Soon?
When the Carolina Panthers aggressively traded up to select Bryce Young first overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, they hoped they were getting a franchise player capable of turning them into a winner. If so, we haven't seen it consistently yet. While he's ironically coming off an impressive win, rallying the Panthers back from a 17-0 deficit, Young is just 8-25 as the Panthers' starter across the past three seasons.
He's even been benched before, for former Pro Bowl QB turned veteran journeyman Andy Dalton . Now, as ESPN's Dan Graziano reports, Young could be on the verge of being benched for Dalton again.
"The Panthers so far are standing by QB Bryce Young , who recovered from a rough start Sunday and brought Carolina back to beat Miami . But there are people around the league who are watching that situation to see whether Young, who hasn't maintained the momentum that he finished with last season, could get benched again for Andy Dalton if he doesn't show improvement soon. Young is 27th in the league in QBR, is completing just 60.9% of his passes and has seven touchdown passes to four interceptions. The Panthers will have a fifth-year option decision to make in May on the 2023 first overall pick, and it's possible they could be in the market for a new QB next offseason."
Winning last week likely bought Young a longer leash, and it could give him more confidence on the field too. He'll get the opportunity to face the Dallas Cowboys, who rank 29th in points allowed this season.
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If the Panthers offense sputters with Young under center, don't be surprised if coach Dave Canales turns back to Dalton again, just as he did in Week 4. Dalton completed 5-of-6 passes for 58 yards and a touchdown, which likely improved his odds of returning to action.
Dalton, 37, is the only other quarterback on the Panthers' active roster. They do also have former Detroit Lions third-round pick Hendon Hooker developing on the practice squad. Hooker, 27, has completed 6-of-9 passes for 62 yards across three NFL appearances.
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