Dave Canales says Andy Dalton gives Panthers their best chance to win this week

Carolina rookie head coach Dave Canales states the obvious about the Panthers' Week 3 matchup with the Raiders.

Tim Weaver | 2 Hours Ago

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - NOVEMBER 26: Andy Dalton #14 and Bryce Young #9 of the Carolina Panthers warm up before the game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on November 26, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans defeated the Panthers 17-10. / (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

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Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers made the biggest move in the NFL this week, shaking up their quarterback room after a sensationally terrible 0-2 start to the 2024 season. Former number one overall draft pick Bryce Young was the biggest reason why they've struggled so much, so he's been benched by rookie head coach Dave Canales in favor of long-time veteran Andy Dalton.

A member of the all-time amazing 2011 draft class, Dalton may be well past his prime, but he's still got at least a little bit of juice left in his throwing arm. His strong performance last year against the Seattle Seahawks proved that much. Sunday's game against the Las Vegas Raiders will be Dalton's 164th career start in this league, and that experience gives Carolina a much better chance to win this particular matchup.

Canales admitted as much earlier this week, per Mike Kaye at the Charlotte Observer.

Dave Canales on Andy Dalton starting

"His resume speaks for itself... He’s an experienced player, he’s got a lot of football in his history. So, I’m excited for Andy with this opportunity, and I believe he gives us our best chance to win this week.”

Canales is correct that starting Dalton this week gives them their best shot, especially given Dalton's past success against the Raiders. However, no matter how well Dalton plays this week or the next week or the week after that, he's not going to become this team's new franchise quarterback. Right now, only Bryce Young can do that.

While they made the right call to bench him, it would be a mistake to sit Young for the rest of the year if they still believe he can be their long-term QB1. The only way Young is going to get better is by building his confidence with live game reps. It may be tempting to see what they can get in a trade. However, Young's terrible start to the season and the quick hook the Panthers gave him means that his trade value is tanked and they won't like whatever offers they might get for him.

If it were our call, we would start Dalton the next two games and then see what Young can do with a relatively soft landing against the Chicago Bears in Week 5. After that it's the Atlanta Falcons, the Washington Commanders and the Denver Broncos on the schedule. Those teams aren't Super Bowl contenders, so in an ideal world Young will be able to build himself up in those matchups and hopefully look like a totally different QB when he gets his rematch with the New Orleans Saints, who have proven to be his Kryptonite so far in his career.

If Young returns to the lineup and does not show some dramatic improvement over what we saw in Weeks 1-2, then it may be time for the Panthers to cut their losses and seek out a trade.