Bucs' NFC South Rivals Bench Former No. 1 Pick

The Carolina Panthers are moving on from Bryce Young, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face Andy Dalton.

Sep 15, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) prepares to pass in the third quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

It'll be a bit before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play the Carolina Panthers — first in Week 13 and then again in Week 17 — but when they do, they might look a bit different than Todd Bowles and his squad were expecting.

The Panthers got some hope when they drafted quarterback Bryce Young No. 1 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, but he had a rough rookie season, throwing for just 2,877 yards, 11 TD and 10 INT. The Panthers went just 2-15 in that year, and this year was a great chance for Young to improve on that rookie year.

Except he hasn't looked better — in fact, he's looked worse. And now, the Panthers are making a change.

Young has thrown for just 245 yards and three interceptions in two games with a paltry 55.4% completion percentage, and now, he's been benched. Per the NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the Panthers are going with quarterback Andy Dalton beginning this week with their game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Sources: The #Panthers are benching former No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young and starting veteran Andy Dalton beginning this week.

Coach Dave Canales has repeatedly said “Bryce is our quarterback.” But with the season quickly slipping away, Canales decided to make a change. pic.twitter.com/jTYawQCi2C

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 16, 2024

The Buccaneers defeated Young in both attempts last year, with the final game of the season in 2023 sending the Buccaneers to the playoffs. The Bucs don't have much more history against Andy Dalton, though — they've played him three times in his career and he's 3-1 against them, throwing for 685 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions.

The last time the Buccaneers played Dalton was in 2022, when he served as New Orleans' quarterback when the Saints came to Tampa Bay for a primetime game against Tom Brady. The Bucs won that game on a last-second comeback drive on a Rachaad White touchdown.

Now, Tampa Bay will once again (likely) face off against Dalton in NFC South battles. And while Dalton will very likely play better than Young has, doing anything with this Panthers roster is still a tough task.

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