Things move quickly in the NFL, but I don’t know if anyone expected things to move this quickly on Bryce Young’s future.
The former No. 1 overall pick has officially been benched for Andy Dalton just one year after the Panthers gave away the farm to draft him at the behest of owner David Tepper. The decision has sent shockwaves through the NFL.
This is so unbelievable that less than 24 hours ago, after the Panthers’ loss to the Chargers, Tepper told everyone that “Bryce is our quarterback” and made it seem like he’d be starting next week. He was very clear in that.
Dave Canales is asked if he thought about putting Andy Dalton in and if Bryce Young will start next week.
“Bryce is our quarterback.” pic.twitter.com/wJM9M7YSvp— Sheena Quick (@Sheena_Marie3) September 15, 2024
“Bryce is our quarterback. We’re going to just continue to shore up and fix the things we need to fundamentally. From a scheme standpoint, these are all valuable reps, these are all valuable games. We’ll learn a lot from this game and, hopefully, we’ll take another step this week,” he told reporters.
Yet, here we are, not even 24 hours later, and everything has changed. Canales wouldn’t say if this decision came from ownership — just that he thought it put the Panthers in the best position to win.
Dave Canales declines to say what role David Tepper had in the Bryce Young decision. pic.twitter.com/NR92UujGe4
— Joe Person (@josephperson) September 16, 2024
“This is something after I watched the film. I looked at it, had a though, started talking to the guys we make decisions with,” he said. “Ultimately, it comes on me. … My number one responsibility is to help the Panthers win. This move, I believe, puts us in the best chance to do that.”
I’m not sure how much film he watched in the last 24 hours, but that’s a pretty quick decision from Canales.
That doesn’t make it the wrong one. Young has been bad and things haven’t worked out. It’s just strange how all this played out. And it certainly makes it feel like there were more than a few cooks in the kitchen when the final decision was made.
