Ravens have problems against Raiders, Vikings win over 49ers
Prince Grimes analyzes all the ups and downs of the second week of the 2024 NFL season.
Sport in Seriousness
Bryce Young will take a break.
The Carolina Panthers have benched the first-round pick of the 2023 draft in favor of experienced backup Andy Dalton.
“Andy gives us the best chance to win right now,” said new head coach Dave Canales in a press conference on Monday afternoon. “I’m happy for Andy.”
Canales informed Young and Dalton of the roster change on Monday morning, but would not publicly commit to using Dalton as a starter beyond Week 3.
It’s been a rocky season for the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner, who hasn’t lived up to his draft expectations for a variety of reasons. In Young’s 18 pro starts, Carolina has lost 16 times. On a personal level, Young has completed less than 60% of his passes with a 70.9 passer rating. He’s accounted for 12 touchdowns and 19 turnovers and often looks uncomfortable on the field. His ability to process and play off of sequences, which was perhaps his greatest asset before the draft – and a supposed compensation for his diminutive stature (5-10, 204) – has yet to bear fruit in the pros.
But Young is already dealing with this third head coach, in this case Canales, a slew of playmakers and one of the least talented rosters in the NFL. He threw for a career-low 84 yards in Sunday’s 26-3 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers – a disastrous home game that left fans in Charlotte scrambling for the exits early.
“I think I just need to make better decisions,” Young said afterward. “You always want to do something. You want to do something. Of course, being a game manager is part of this position. Today I caught some bad examples of that. I definitely take responsibility for that.”
When asked if Young’s job was in danger, Canales replied on Sunday after the loss to the Chargers that this was not the case.
“Bryce is our quarterback,” he said a day ago. “We’re just going to continue to work on reinforcements and improve the things that we fundamentally need to improve from a game perspective. These are all valuable reps, all valuable plays. We’re going to learn a lot from this game and hopefully take another step (next) week.”
Dalton, 36, is a three-time Pro Bowler and has thrown for 38,511 yards and 246 touchdowns in his 14-year career. He threw for 361 yards and two TDs in his only start in 2023, a 37-27 loss at Seattle that saw Young sit out with an injury.
The winless Panthers face the Raiders in Las Vegas this Sunday.
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Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter, @ByNateDavis.
