The substitution of Bryce Young proved to be beneficial for the Carolina Panthers in the short term.
But the overall picture will be crucial. It is far from clear whether it is clear.
Young’s replacement is Andy Dalton, who did his part by throwing three touchdown passes in the 36-22 upset victory in Las Vegas on Sunday.
The best thing for the Panthers, and Carolina’s first win of the season, is that the story suddenly turned away from Young’s problems and more focused on Dalton’s success.
It’s important to remember that Young was touted by owner David Tepper as the quarterback who would restore the Panthers to prominence – if you have a good memory, the franchise was successful – when he was selected No. 1 in the 2023 draft out of Alabama.
After two games in Young’s second professional season, the Panthers didn’t want to wait any longer, turned away from Young and handed the role of quarterback to Dalton.
The idea that this could be a temporary arrangement has lost some of its strength with Sunday’s result.
Young and Dalton, for their part, said exactly the right things last week.
Dalton, who is playing in his 14th NFL season, sounded excited to be back on the front row, a chance he wasn’t sure he would ever get again since he had become something of an itinerant worker since parting ways with the Cincinnati Bengals, where his career flourished at times.
After the result in Las Vegas, Dalton’s euphoria could not be hidden.
“It’s so much fun when you haven’t had it in a while,” Dalton said.
Following this decision, Young adopted a team-first approach.
“I just try to be the best version of myself and do everything I can to help the team,” Young said. “… (As) a competitor, obviously it’s not what you dream about, it’s what you think is going to happen.”
Sunday was not entirely stress-free either, considering what had preceded the trip to Las Vegas. The Panthers scored a total of 10 points in their first two games, but were unable to establish any offensive flow with the ball in Young’s hands.
Even as new coach Dave Canales secured his first NFL victory, there were thoughts about what this might all mean for the Panthers and their quarterback, who was supposed to be the foundation for the future.
“A really tough week, just because of all those factors,” Canales said.
In Young’s defense, he didn’t seem to be surrounded by the best arguments, although Dalton’s delivery suggests otherwise. The Panthers have played under three head coaches in two seasons, which certainly hasn’t provided much stability for Young or other young players. Last year, they posted the worst record in the NFL at 2-15.
This season, in the two games with Young at the helm, the Panthers have shot 9.1% (2 of 22) on third-down conversions, the worst rate in the league. In two games this month, Young has completed 31 of 56 passes for 245 yards and three interceptions.
Dalton threw for 319 yards without an interception against the Raiders. And perhaps even better for the Panthers, attention could shift away from the topic of Young for at least another week.
Not only has Dalton become part of a winning story again, but he will also face the Bengals on Sunday when they visit Charlotte. The close ties between Dalton and the Bengals will be a welcome distraction from the bigger problems the Panthers still have to deal with.
It’s easy to keep Young, who was one of Carolina’s captains at midfield during the pregame coin toss on Sunday, on the bench for now, but the Panthers are just one injury away from having to force Young back onto the field.
So this story will certainly have several more chapters.
