Panthers Coach Dave Canales Explains Why He Decided to Bench Bryce Young

Young has only won two games in his career since being drafted No. 1 in 2023.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young looks to throw a pass. / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The Carolina Panthers announced on Monday that starting quarterback Bryce Young will be benched this Sunday vs. the Las Vegas Raiders. Backup Andy Dalton will start instead.

Young, the 2023 No. 1 pick, has only won two games in his NFL career, and he's struggled in his first two starts this season. Coach Dave Canales spoke about the decision on Monday shortly after the news broke, and he emphasized that it was his decision. He made clear that he's ready to win some football games and believes Dalton gives the team the best chance to do that.

“A lot of factors that go into it for this decision. And, ultimately, just kind of landed on my shoulder to be able to make the best decision for our group to give us our best chance to win this week,” Canales said. “And we focus on the weeks, we focus on the challenge at hand. We feel like Andy gives us our best chance to meet the challenge.

“This was my decision. This is our football team. This is trying to win on a weekly basis. And while it’s my decision, I gather information from the people that are critical to making these kinds of decisions. But this is something I felt like gives us our chance to take a step forward in our play style and to be able to compete this week against a really good Raiders team.”

Canales did not express how long he plans to bench Young for, but it's possible the quarterback switchup could continue on past this weekend.

So far this season, Young has completed 31-of-56 passes for 245 yards, zero touchdowns and three interceptions. He's been sacked six times on top of that. The Panthers have only scored 13 points through two games this season.

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