The Carolina Panthers are taking swift action after a humiliating start to their season. The Panthers trailing 0-2 is an eyesore for the head coach Dave Canales, who is trying to make the best impression in the eyes of the owner David Tepper. So, what’s the swift action? Well, y’all might have heard by now that Bryce Young is being benched.

This has put Andy Dalton, the next man up, under the limelight. He has been given the reign of the Carolina Panthers as the team wishes for the journeyman quarterback to steer their ship out of the storm. Tom Pelissero first broke the news and then Ian Rapoport and his colleague added more to the Bryce Young benching saga.

“Overnight and after Dave Canales watched the film, just the same as everyone watching the game, the offense was not working. Bryce Young was simply not playing well enough,” Rapoport said. “So much of what Dave Canales, the head coach needs to do is not just, ‘What gives my team the best chance to win?’ But also, ‘Will all the other guys in the locker room, who are doing their jobs and trying to play this too, what do they think?’”

Young’s rookie year was disappointing as it is, but this isn’t about the last year. This is about the 2024 season where Bryce Young let the Los Angeles Chargers and the New Orleans Saints hand over two big disappointments to the team and Co. First off, the 47-10 loss to the Saints was just crushing. Young went 13 for 30 over 161 yards and threw two picks along the way. He only scored a 3-yard rushing TD with no air show at all.

The next game against the Chargers was somehow even worse. Panthers didn’t score a single touchdown and Bryce Young came out with 18 of his 26 passes completed over 84 yards. Nobody wants to see dink and dunk football and there was plenty of that in the past two games.

Canales, the HC, went from “Bryce is our quarterback,” to “It’s my decision. And ultimately, it just kind of lands on my shoulders to be able to make the best decision for our group to give us our chance, our best chance to win this week,” very quickly. The straw that broke the camel’s back was when Bryce Young failed to locate Adam Thielen on a slant route.

The miscalculation did not sit well with Thielen. Some words were exchanged and it’s safe to say that Young and Thielen weren’t exactly on good terms. All the while, Andy Dalton, who was brought in to mentor Bryce Young, didn’t criticize the ex-starting QB and was just thankful for the opportunity. For now, though, Canales has bet all his chips on Andy Dalton.

Why is Dave Canales taking Andy Dalton over Bryce Young?

Ian Rapoport elaborated more on the sway in Dave Canales’ thought process. Not many thought that a first overall pick would have to go through an imminent benching so soon. Bryce had a decent run last year with 2,877 yards and 11 touchdowns. However, he threw 10 interceptions in the last season and was sacked 62 times. Imagine the loss of scoring drives on all those sacks.

This year, Young started all but two games and threw two picks and was sacked 6 times. These are some of the reasons why the Panthers decided to give their journeyman quarterback, Andy Dalton a go. “What happened was, Dave Canales watched the film, came to the realization that Bryce Young needed to be sat down, that Andy Dalton, the 36-year-old veteran with plenty of starts under his belt, gave the team a better chance to win.”

Rapoport later revealed how Canales reached out to “two top executives” in the Panthers org and they settled on sitting Young down. They took this decision to David Tepper, the owner, who agreed with Canales and the other execs. But coming back to Dalton, what does the head coach really think about the veteran quarterback?

“A lot of factors that go into this decision,” Canales said. “(As) we focus on the weeks (ahead), we focus on the challenge at hand. And we feel like Andy gives us our best chance to meet the challenge.”

In 14 NFL seasons, Dalton recorded an 83-78-2 career record, amassing 38,511 passing yards with 246 touchdowns and 144 interceptions. The now starter mentioned that he has been itching for the opportunity and he has “got it now.” Do you think Dalton will prove to be a turning point for the Panthers who have been brutally defeated in the last two games? Share your thoughts below.