After a tough start to the NFL season with a 0-2 record for the Carolina Panthers, head coach Dave Canales made the drastic decision to bench Bryce Young and promote the experienced Andy Dalton to the starting role. In response to this situation, the former Alabama QB reportedly shared his feelings on the matter.
Although the start of the season was not as expected, Coach Canales had often stated that Young would be his starting QB for the foreseeable future. However, it seems that two poor performances by the young QB led the coach to reconsider his decision.
Once the news was confirmed that Andy Dalton would be the starting QB in Week 3, and according to journalist Jordan Schultz ( @Schultz_Report ) Young and his camp were ‘particularly shocked’ by the sudden change, with one insider commenting, ‘It came out of nowhere.’
The Panthers started this season with a tough loss to the New Orleans Saints, falling 47-10. Despite expectations for a better performance in their second game, things did not improve, and they were once again defeated, this time 26-3 by the Los Angeles Chargers.
Dave Canales and the reason behind the QB change
At the start of the season, HC Canales firmly stated that Bryce Young would be his starting quarterback throughout the year. However, after two decisive losses and a lackluster performance from the former Alabama star, the coach was compelled to make a dramatic change.
Regarding this unexpected situation, and when asked about the reasons for the change, Canales told the press: “Andy gives us our best chance to win this week. Hate to sound like a broken record, I owe it to all the guys. Everybody involved needs to be really critical about what we put on film and what I’m seeing. And to make sure that I’m constantly making the best decision for the team, every week.”
“This was my decision. This is our football team. This is trying to win on a weekly basis. And while it’s my decision, I gather information from the people that are critical to making these kinds of decisions. But this is something I felt like gives us our chance to take a step forward in our play style and to be able to compete this week against a really good Raiders team.”
What’s next for the Carolina Panthers?
With the primary goal of quickly turning things around, the Carolina Panthers are turning to Andy Dalton to change their fortunes. Here are the upcoming games for Dave Canales’ squad:
- vs Las Vegas Raiders – Week 3
- vs Cincinnati Bengals – Week 4
- vs Chicago Bears – Week 5
- vs Atlanta Falcons – Week 6
- vs Washington Commanders – Week 7