The Panthers should consider taking on Bryce Young again to see if he is a franchise quarterback

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — When coach Dave Canales benched 2023 No. 1 draft pick Bryce Young two weeks into the season, he said it was because veteran Andy Dalton had given the Carolina Panthers the best chance to win.

Maybe he was right – and maybe he’s still right.

But now that the Panthers (1-6) are four games in with Dalton under center, the injuries are piling up and the defense is among the worst ever in the NFL, they seem destined to go under in the 2025 draft to come in the top five if not No. 1 overall. Of course, that means they can select one of the top quarterbacks coming out of college next April.

So it seems time to find out, for better or worse, how owner David Tepper, general manager Dan Morgan and Canales feel about Young – assuming they haven’t made up their minds yet.

READ MORE | “The Carolina Panthers were trounced by Commanders in a 40-7 game.”

The Panthers have to play Young again.

But Canales doesn’t believe it.

He defended his decision Monday to continue starting Dalton this week in Denver.

“I’m completely sensitive to the questions and they’re not unfounded and unfounded,” Canales said after being asked why the team won’t play Young. “From my perspective, I’m trying to get a team to continue to progress and take steps and that’s where my focus has to be. The focus has to be on getting Andy to play his best football.”

Young’s first stint as a starter was a disaster. He went 2-14 as a rookie and then failed in his first two starts this season, leading to his sudden benching before a Week 3 game against the Raiders.

Dalton initially gave the Panthers a boost with a win in Las Vegas, but his performance steadily declined. On Sunday against the Commanders, the 36-year-old was limited to 93 yards on two first-quarter interceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown on the offense’s opening series. The result was a one-sided 40-7 defeat.

READ MORE | “The Panthers’ QB carousel continues to spin with Andy Dalton in the starting lineup against the Raiders.”

There is no doubt that the Panthers have invested heavily in Young.

They traded four picks and top wide receiver DJ Moore to move up eight spots in the draft and select Young ahead of CJ Stroud.

But Tepper, a hedge fund billionaire, was quick to cut ties when he thought he had made a bad investment. Look no further than Matt Rhule, Frank Reich, Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield.

There’s no real downside to playing Young at this point.

If he manages to turn things around, the Panthers can continue to build around him and look to the future. And if Young still isn’t convinced, he will at least have increased his trade value.

On the other hand, if Young continues to struggle and lose games, the Panthers are well-positioned to sign a QB and move on once and for all from what has so far been a colossal mistake that will go down as one of the NFL’s worst trades in history could go down in history.

Canales said that after benching Young, the team had no plans to trade him.

When asked about it on Monday, he replied: “Hypotheses again. Those are things that Dan (Morgan) and (Executive Vice President of Football Operations) Brandt Tilis will discuss, all those different processes. At the moment my focus is on getting us to playing good football again.

What works

We have to skip this category as there isn’t much for the Panthers to do. The defense has given up a whopping 243 points in seven games, which is the third-most points scored in the Super Bowl era. Only the 1973 Oilers and 1966 Falcons (250 each) gave up more. The Panthers ruled out eight players due to pregame injuries and three other key starters, DE Derrick Brown, LB Shaq Thompson and C Austin Corbett, are out for the season, while WR Adam Thielen is still on injured reserve. The offense wasn’t much better outside of a running game that showed flashes at times.

What needs help

The Panthers’ run defense entered the game ranked 30th in the league and then allowed the Commanders to accumulate 214 yards on the ground. Injuries have cost the Panthers at linebacker, where four players were ruled out before the game.

Stock up

Backup RB Miles Sanders had perhaps his best game with the Panthers, rushing for 95 yards on nine touches. He had six receptions for 61 yards. Sanders falls behind the tenacious Chuba Hubbard, who was responsible for Carolina’s touchdown on the ground. Carolina should add rookie RB Jonathan Brooks to the field in the next few weeks, bolstering the team’s strength at the position and potentially making Hubbard or Sanders expendable as the trade deadline approaches.

Inventory reduced

Channels. The first-year head coach is an extremely optimistic and positive person, but you’ll have to take it slow this season. He’s failing to get the job done in Carolina as his team hasn’t even been competitive in five of the seven games this season.

Injuries

Carolina appeared to come out of the game injury-free. However, the Panthers entered the game extremely banged up with eight players out before the weekend, including OLB Jadeveon Clowney and ILBs Claudin Cherelus, Josey Jewell and Jon Rhattigan, leaving the Panthers vulnerable to the run. WR Adam Thielen’s status is uncertain heading into Week 8, but he would certainly give the offense a big boost if he could return.

Key number

154-62 – margin by which the Panthers were outscored in the first half this season.

Next Steps

The Panthers travel to Denver (4-3) on Sunday looking to break a four-game deficit. Carolina has lost 12 of its last 13 road games since last season.