Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales discussed the challenging choice to bench quarterback Bryce Young early in the 2024 season, acknowledging that while it was difficult, Young earned considerable respect from both the coaching staff and his teammates through his response. Young, the former No. 1 overall draft pick, struggled in the team‘s first two games, throwing three interceptions without a touchdown, which contributed to heavy losses against the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Chargers before being replaced by veteran Andy Dalton.
Young’s Leadership Persisted Despite Playing Time Reduction
Although sidelined, Young remained actively involved and continued demonstrating leadership from the bench, according to Canales.
He earned a lot of respect from his teammates, from me,
Canales said.
He didn’t agree with me on the decision not to play him, but he worked and he kept leading. He was showing me, ‘This is my team.’ And he was showing his teammates, ‘You’re my guys.’
Return to Starting Role and Performance Boost
Young was reinstated as the Panthers’ starting quarterback in Week 8 after Andy Dalton suffered a thumb injury in a car accident. Upon his return, Young demonstrated marked improvement, accumulating over 2,100 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, and six interceptions for the remainder of the season. The Panthers won four of their final ten games following Young’s reinstatement.
Coach Highlights Importance of Team-First Decisions and Trust
Canales emphasized that the decision to bench Young was made with the team‘s best interest in mind and stressed the ongoing importance of trust between himself and the quarterback.
We have to make decisions that are best for the Panthers,
Canales said.
That was kind of the main thing that I was trying to get after: We need to make the best decision right now. And then as we do that, hopefully over the course of time, the trust factor between the two of us is [that] we’re going to make the right decisions for our team.
Young’s Growth and Command of the Offense
Despite initial struggles, Young improved his completion percentage to 60.9% and his passer rating to 82.2 in his second season. Canales noted additional progress in Young’s ability to direct the offense and take ownership of the team‘s offensive concepts.
When he comes back in and he starts to play better, and he starts to really help us grow and expand our offense — also in this camp, which is another part of just seeing him own the concepts and being able to build — there’s a trust factor that we will do what’s best for the Panthers … it’s a collective, collaborative thing to make those decisions,
Canales said.
Looking Ahead: Preseason and Team Ambitions
Young is anticipated to receive playing time as the Panthers face the Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans in the first two preseason matchups. As a former Heisman Trophy winner at Alabama and the top pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Young remains the focal point of Carolina’s rebuilding effort.
Following a tough sophomore season, both Young and the Panthers are focused on improving within the NFC South and ending an eight-year playoff drought.