Panthers' Bryce Younger benched simply two begins into 2024 season; Andy Dalton takes over in Carolina

How unhealthy was Week 2’s efficiency by the Carolina Panthers offense? Unhealthy sufficient for former No. 1 draft choose Bryce Young to get benched for Andy Dalton simply two begins into his sophomore season, CBS Sports activities NFL insider Jonathan Jones reported on Monday afternoon. 

Younger has been beneath fireplace for principally his whole profession, and after a disastrous first season in 2023, the Panthers managed simply 13 factors of their first two video games beneath new coach Dave Canales. 

Sunday was as bleak because it will get — and I wrote about how bad it was and how it might not get better here — Younger going through the least strain of any beginning quarterback within the NFL and nonetheless managing to throw for 84 yards (not a typo!) on 26 cross makes an attempt in yet one more humiliating loss for Carolina. 

Dalton, a former second-round choose within the 2011 NFL Draft, will take over, starting in Week 3 when Carolina travels to the Raiders.

We’ll know extra once we hear from Canales this week, but it surely’s solely attainable the Panthers merely determined Younger wanted a break from being on the sector for a really unhealthy Carolina workforce because the centerpiece of a dysfunctional Panthers offense. 

Younger, the previous No. 1 total choose within the 2023 NFL Draft, not solely hasn’t taken a step ahead this 12 months for Carolina, he is managed to regress. Sunday was a comedy of errors. 

The 2021 Heisman Trophy winner did not diagnose a third-down blitz from the Chargers on the Panthers’ second sequence, bounced out of the pocket and held the ball till he was unnecessarily sacked by the sideline. He threw a horrific interception into double protection. And on a third-and-2 he missed Adam Thielen by a yardage quantity that was fairly near equaling the space on the throw itself. 

That is simply a few apparent situations, however the backside line is there is not any possible way round it: Younger seems to be damaged proper now. The Panthers are 0-2 and have scored a single offensive landing up to now this season, a three-yard scramble by Younger in Week 1 to trim the Saints lead right down to 37-10 in an unpleasant blowout. 

Carolina was non-competitive in opposition to the Chargers from begin to end. 

The mix of Canales, GM Dan Morgan and EVP Brandt Tillis made the choice to bench Younger, per ESPN. 

How a lot involvement David Tepper had/has on this choice will definitely be debated, though it is attainable Canales merely is nervous about his job, given the extent of play by the offense and Tepper’s propensity for firing head coaches halfway by means of the season (he is 3 for 3 up to now in his tenure as proprietor of the Panthers, with Frank Reich being canned halfway by means of his first season final 12 months). 

Dalton’s insertion into the beginning lineup will at the least give us an concept of whether or not or not this offense is useful in any respect, or whether or not it is merely a Bryce Younger downside for Carolina. The 36-year-old Dalton is 83-78-2 in 163 begins over a 14-year NFL profession. He is not going going to mild up defenses on a weekly foundation, however he’ll in all probability have extra management over the offense and virtually definitely possess a greater stage of consolation contained in the pocket. 

On the very least, this offers Younger a chance to step again, take a breath and regroup and work on the psychological facet of being an NFL quarterback with out spending each waking minute beneath assault from opposing defenses and the Panthers fanbase. 

Following the highway journey to Las Vegas, the Panthers have the Bengals — the workforce who drafted Dalton over a decade in the past — the Bears — who traded with the Panthers within the Younger deal — the Falcons, Commanders and Broncos. There are a number of winnable video games on the slate for a mildly useful NFL membership. 

It is Dalton’s job to show the Panthers can strategy that stage of baseline mediocrity over the following few weeks.