A significant change is coming to the Carolina Panthers QBs room.
Second-year quarterback Bryce Young is heading to the bench.
This is not a drill:
I had to do a double-take when I first saw the notification from NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero on Twitter. That was the real Tom Pelissero tweeting. And when NFL Network teammate Ian Rapoport and ESPN’s Adam Schefter chimed in, it made it real. Wow. I am genuinely surprised that this is a thing that is happening right now.
Andy Dalton is taking over for Bryce Young as Carolina’s QB1
An old friend is set to take over for Bryce Young as Andy Dalton is being given starting quarterback status once again. You might remember Dalton from his brief stint as the Chicago Bears’ starting quarterback in 2021 before an injury nudged him off to the side and Justin Fields took over. Fast forward three seasons and Dalton is set to take over for the player who was selected first overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. This is all so jarring to me. I can’t believe this is real.
Maybe I shouldn’t be all too surprised. Bryce Young has been terrible this year and his stock has never been lower.
The second-year signal-caller has a 44.1 passer rating, has completed just 55.4 percent of his throws, has more interceptions (3) than touchdowns (0), and is averaging just 4.4 yards per attempt. Those are some ugly numbers. Perhaps Panthers Head Coach Dave Canales sees this as an opportunity to give the young quarterback a hard reboot, much like when a Major League Baseball team sends a top prospect back to the minors after their initial struggles. Or maybe this is a sign that Bryce Young is as broken as the screen shots make it look.
Seriously, this is an image of a broken man:
As a Bears fan, I’ll continue to keep an eye on what happens with the Carolina Panthers’ quarterbacking situation. Not only because Chicago has Carolina’s second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft (which was looking like it would be the No. 33 overall selection based on the Panthers’ play), but also because the Bears and Panthers square off in Week 5. Sure, that is three weeks away. A lot can change by then. However, at this point, I’d be surprised if Bryce Young is back in the starting lineup when the Bears and Panthers play next month. Oof. I didn’t have an Andy Dalton revenge game on my 2024 Bears bingo card.