CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers will bench second-year quarterback Bryce Young after Sunday's abysmal 26-3 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
The news was first reported by NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero and later picked up by ESPN's Adam Schefter. Young's benching comes less than 24 hours after head coach Dave Canales reiterated that Young would remain the team's starting quarterback.
"Bryce is our quarterback," Canales said after the loss to the Chargers. "We're going to continue to fix up things we need to fundamentally from a scheme standpoint."
When asked why he chose to bench Young after endorsing him, Canales refused to get into detail, instead saying a decision was made after he met with general manager Dan Morgan and executive Brandt Tillis. Canales declined to say if owner David Tepper weighed in on Young's performance.
"This was my decision," Canales said. "This is our football team. This is trying to win on a weekly basis."
Canales said he believes Andy Dalton gives Carolina the best chance to win at Las Vegas on Sunday. In the meantime, he said he will view the team's quarterback situation as "week to week."
"I certainly hope he shows up every day, works hard and focuses on his job," Canales said. "I don't want to get into timelines, I just know that Andy gives us our best chance to win."
Young's 245 passing yards are the lowest among NFL quarterbacks who have played in two games. Young is one of four quarterbacks without a touchdown pass this year. The others are rookies Jayden Daniels, Caleb Williams and Bo Nix.
Young finished Sunday's loss with just 84 yards passing while completing 18 of 26 passes, which adds up to 4.6 yards per completion (YPC). It's the first time a quarterback has finished with under 100 yards while completing at least 18 passes.
Canales was hired to boost Young's career after a disappointing rookie season after helping resurrect the careers of Baker Mayfield and Geno Smith. Now, after just two games in, the Bryce Young project appears to have hit a major roadblock.
Young struggled in 16 starts during his rookie season as the Panthers finished with the NFL's worst record at 2-15. Young threw for just 2877 yards, the second-fewest by a No. 1 quarterback who played at least 14 games. Young's paltry 5.5 yards per attempt in 2023 was the worst among No. 1 quarterbacks who started more than eight games.
Carolina added wide receivers Dionte Johnson and Xavier Legette, and guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis to give Young weapons and protection.
