Panthers insider says David Tepper OK'd the Bryce Young benching, and why that's OK

Joe Person at The Athletic reports team owner David Tepper "signed off" on the team benching their #1 overall pick.

Sep 22, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper reacts during the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Carolina Panthers have thus far made the sharpest move at quarterback by any NFL team this season. Following their second-straight humiliating loss to begin the season, the Panthers made a bold change by benching number one overall draft pick Bryce Young and starting long-time veteran Andy Dalton. You know the rest of the story, but now we have more details on how it went down.

At the time ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that the decision to sit Young was a combined effort between head coach Dave Canales, general manager Dan Morgan and EVP Brandt Tilis. What was left unsaid was obvious, and now we have confirmation via a report by Joe Person at the Athletic: team owner David Tepper signed off on the move.

David Tepper OK'd Bryce Young benching

"After the Panthers managed 13 points in getting outscored by 60 the first two weeks, Canales — along with Morgan and Tilis — benched Young, which Tepper signed off on, according to a source who was granted anonymity so that he could speak freely."

Why the Panthers benching Bryce Young was the right call

Carolina's track record since Tepper bought the team isn't great and you can ask a Dallas Cowboys fan about what it's like to live with an owner who's way too involved in the day-to-day operations of the franchise. All that being said, Dallas has won 12 games three years in a row and even a broken clock is right twice a day. In other words, this is one move that Tepper was correct on.

You can make a very strong case for keeping Bryce Young and seeing what he can do once Andy Dalton cools off (assuming that happens eventually), or to begin next season. However, there's not much room for debate about the decision to bench him. They couldn't have known that Dalton would sling it like this, but Young essentially gave them no other choice by playing QB at a level about as bad as anyone ever has over two starts in the modern era.

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