Why benching Bryce Young for Andy Dalton makes some sense, but ultimately may be pointless anyway

The Panthers, the worst team in football last year by a country mile, somehow managed to get even worse in 2024. Not having a first-round pick makes things tough, but this rendition of Carolina is just as unwatchable as the last. And at the center of it all is Bryce Young, the top pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, who finds himself not only at a career crossroads just 18 games into the season but flat-out benched two games into the year for 36-year-old veteran Andy Dalton.

Reading between the tea leaves you can tell just how dysfunctional things are in Carolina right now: long-time beat writer Joe Person of The Athletic was tweeting about “losing the locker room,” and offseason addition Diontae Johnson is not-so-subtly kicking the first-year coaching staff under the bus in the wake of a humiliating home opener against the Chargers. 

Head coach Dave Canales endorsed Young immediately after the game saying, “Bryce is our quarterback” … only to bench him less than 24 hours later. The Panthers let it leak out that benching Bryce was a decision made by Canales and GM Dan Morgan, which is just an absolutely insane agenda to feel the need to push, but everything is on the table when David Tepper owns your team. Of course, Canales, when asked what role Tepper played in this decision, said he would “keep that private,” which is kind of code for Tepper being heavily involved. 

It felt like the Panthers — and Tepper in particular — made some strides this offseason in terms of not being a total disaster, and maybe Dalton will turn things around and make the Panthers slightly more competitive than they have been. But benching the No. 1 overall pick, especially one who required such capital to acquire, 18 games into his career is an abject nightmare. 

What a mess. 

Getty Images
…


Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/why-benching-bryce-young-for-andy-dalton-makes-some-sense-but-ultimately-may-be-pointless-anyway/

Author : Will Brinson

Publish date : 2024-09-16 22:10:08

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.