After making headlines early this week by benching No. 1-overall pick Bryce Young, the Carolina Panthers may be preparing to do another switcheroo later this season.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Sunday that the Panthers are planning to play the struggling quarterback again this season and are viewing the move to make Andy Dalton the starter as a “timeout” for the 2023 top pick.
Dalton, a 36-year-old veteran, starts Sunday for the Panthers (0-2) in Las Vegas against the Raiders.
While other teams have contacted the Panthers about Young, Carolina is not looking to trade him. ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirmed the Panthers have received trade calls this week.
Young started 16 games in the 2023 season, registering a 2-14 record with 11 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, a 59.8 completion percentage and a 73.7 passer rating.
Things got even worse to start this season, as the Panthers fell to 0-2 and Young’s numbers looked even worse with zero passing touchdowns, three interceptions and a 44.1 passer rating. Carolina was outscored 73-13 combined by the New Orleans Saints and the Los Angeles Chargers in the first two weeks
To get the 2023 first-overall pick and select Young, the Panthers traded up eight spots with the Chicago Bears, sending wide receiver D.J. Moore and four draft picks to the Windy City — one of which turned out to be the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft after the Panthers finished a league-worst 2-15 last season. The Bears used that pick to take quarterback Caleb Williams.
In 2019, the Arizona Cardinals traded away their 2018 10th-overall selection, quarterback Josh Rosen, after a failed season netted them the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. The Cardinals received a third-round pick from the Miami Dolphins for Rosen.