Bryce Young Named Panthers Starter Against Giants in Germany: Just a Minute
Welcome to BamaCentral’s "Just a Minute," a video series featuring BamaCentral's Alabama beat writers. Multiple times a week, the writers will group up to provide their take on a topic concerning the Crimson Tide or the landscape of college sports.
Watch the above video as BamaCentral staff writer Hunter De Siver discusses some big news for a former Alabama standout quarterback.
Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales announced on Wednesday that former Alabama standout quarterback Bryce Young has officially regained the starting job in Carolina, following a solid winning performance against the New Orleans Saints in Week 9. Young completed 16-of-26 pass attempts for 171 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
The first overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft was benched after Week 2 due to a rough start to his sophomore campaign and backup Andy Dalton took over the past few weeks. However, Dalton was injured in a car accident before Week 8's game and Young regained his preseason position. That said, Panthers head coach Dave Canales announced on Wednesday that the 2021 Heisman Trophy would be the starter for Carolina's matchup against the New York Giants in Germany despite Dalton practicing all week.
The Panthers finished last season with a 2-15 record while Young was under center. However, they've made many changes to their organization, including hiring Dave Canales as head coach, revamping their offensive line with two very solid signings, trading for wide receiver Diontae Johnson (recently traded to the Baltimore Ravens), drafting fellow pass-catcher Xavier Legette and running back Jonathan Brooks (just came off of the injured reserve list for the first time this season) and have made many more moves to benefit Young.
However, this did not work in the first two weeks of the season, as the Panthers lost by a combined score of 73-13 until Young was benched on Sept. 16. Throughout that span, he completed 31-of-56
pass attempts (55.4 percent) for 245 yards, zero touchdowns and three interceptions.
Earlier in the offseason, Canales and a couple of Panther players explained how Young has emerged as a leader both on and off the field, and how it could translate to a highly anticipated sophomore campaign.
It seems like this past Sunday's 23-22 win over their NFC South division rival boosted more confidence in Young and Canales certainly agrees. The sophomore campaign is not done yet and he's got a decent chance to grab another win in Germany as the Giants are heavily struggling at 2-7.
Catch of a glimpse of this on Sunday Nov. 10 at 8:30 a.m. CT on NFL Network.