This must the one where the Carolina Panthers and Bryce Young take a break . . . for good.
Tomorrow marks the beginning of yet another episode under center for the Panthers, as they’ll turn to veteran quarterback Andy Dalton in their Week 3 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders. The 36-year-old replaces Young, who was abruptly benched following a particularly disappointing two-game stretch to start the 2024 campaign.
So will we ever see Bryce play for the Panthers again, or have we already seen his series finale in Carolina?
Well, it’s the latter if you ask Dianna Russini, senior NFL insider for The Athletic. She wrote the following in a new article from Saturday morning:
It’s over. No matter what Carolina says, rest assured: It’s over.
This isn’t an experiment.
This isn’t a Ross and Rachel break.
This is Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston over.
Geez. Could you be any more positive?
We haven’t received a clear answer about Young’s future from the organization itself. When announcing the move to reporters on Monday, head coach Dave Canales did not specify if Young’s benching is a short-term move or a definitive move forward.
Canales, however, did state that Young was the team’s quarterback directly following last weekend’s 26-3 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers—making the sudden demotion all the more shocking.
But Russini reports that “too much changed” between Sunday and Monday:
The quarterback was stunned when told he’d been benched. On the field, the offense is frustrated. One Panthers player said, “Young was making the same mistakes over and over.”Young was fully aware that he needed to improve, but he was reassured that he was still the guy. The coaching staff told him they were in this together. They told him that “he was fine,” and that they were all on board to reach their goals.On Monday, it changed.
Sadly, Bryce may not be the Panthers’ lobster.
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