Cam Newton weighs in on the Bryce Young or Andy Dalton debate

Carolina's former league MVP says not starting Bryce Young is wasting time by the Panthers.

Tim Weaver | Nov 2, 2024

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 29: Cam Newton attends the BET Awards Media House on June 29, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. / (Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty Images for BET)

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Carolina Panthers

When the Carolina Panthers benched Bryce Young back in Week 3 there was little question that it was the right call. Young's play on the field gave the team little choice but to go with Andy Dalton, and for a while it looked like Dalton might be able to carry this team the rest of the season.

However, as soon as Dalton faced a good defense he came crashing back down to earth and now many of his numbers on theyear are just as bad as Young's. Thanks to a thumb injury Dalton sustained in a car crash last week the Panthers started Young again - and he did show some real signs of progress.

Then agan, "progress" for Bryce Young is an extremely low bar right now, as his performance early in the year was about as bad as any QB in league history. Young will be starting again tomorrow, but that's far from a unanimously popular decision. Here's what franchise legend Cam Newton has to say about the Young vs. Dalton debate.

Cam Newton on Bryce Young vs. Andy Dalton

https://t.co/op9Iae4pxJ pic.twitter.com/HslBtQG8JM
— 4thand1show (@4thand1show) November 1, 2024

This is the way. The Panthers aren't going to be in the playoffs, so the best use of their time the rest of the regular season is evaluating and developing the younger players on their roster - and Young is at the top of that list. No matter how ugly it might get, Carolina is better off letting Young take his lumps and letting him at least try to grow out of it. The Panthers can then evaluate whether they want to give Young another shot at QB1 in 2025 or if they'd be better off trying to draft another starter.