Tag: Andy Dalton

Panthers HC Dave Canales: ‘Bryce Young is gonna finish the season for us’

Panthers HC Dave Canales was asked if he’ll give Andy Dalton another look before the end of the season, and it doesn’t seem that way.

With only three games to go here in the 2024 season, Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales has finally put the weekly quarterback conundrum to bed.

Last Sunday’s disappointing defeat to the Dallas Cowboys wasn’t Bryce Young’s finest hour under center. The second-year passer committed a career-high four turnovers in the 30-14 loss, tossing two interceptions and losing a pair of fumbles in his first real hiccup since returning to the starting lineup.

But even though Young couldn’t find a handle on the pigskin that day, Canales told reporters this afternoon that the 23-year-old still handled the situation well.

“I mean, this was a career-high,” he said after practice. “I think for Bryce, watching him in-game was what was so impressive. To see him just continue to stay in there, to have his footwork exactly where he needed to be, to throw to No. 1 in progression and really still see the field. I could not go past Monday without letting him know that.

“I’ve been around football for 15 years and to see where games like that can really pile up on a guy and to watch him handle and to be composed and to talk with his teammates and keep working through the issues—I thought was so impressive and I wanted to make sure he knew that, that that was great and that’s exactly what it looks like to play quarterback.”

Week 15 marked Young’s seventh game since reclaiming the starting job back from veteran Andy Dalton. He’s completed 60.6 of his passes for 1,492 yards (213.1 per game), eight touchdowns and six interceptions over those outings.

Canales, who has taken the starting quarterback decision on a week-by-week basis since the switch, was then asked if he’d like to see Dalton on the field again before the end of the campaign.

“Bryce is gonna finish the season for us,” he replied.

The Panthers are hosting the Arizona Cardinals for their final home game here in Week 16 and will close up with visits to see the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons in Weeks 17 and 18.

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Would the Panthers have ever started Bryce Young again if Andy Dalton didn’t get injured in a car accident?

Would Bryce Young have ever gotten his second chance in 2024 if not for Andy Dalton’s car accident? Panthers HC Dave Canales was asked that on Monday.

The future between quarterback Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers has never appeared brighter than it does at this very moment. And to think, they wouldn’t be in this position if not for a traffic accident.

Five days before Carolina’s Week 8 matchup with the Denver Broncos, then-starting quarterback Andy Dalton and his family were involved in a minor car accident in Charlotte. Luckily, no one was seriously injured—but the 14th-year veteran did come away from the collision with a sprained right thumb.

That setback unexpectedly gave way to Young, who had been benched for Dalton after a disappointing first two games of the campaign. Young, in a pair of blowout losses in Weeks 1 and 2, passed for just 245 yards, zero touchdowns and three interceptions.

To that point, the 23-year-old was merely considered a temporary solution—as Dalton was likely in line to regain the job once healthy. Plus, there were rumblings that the organization was pretty much done with Young.

But, uh, something changed.

Young took the opening and never looked back, giving a solid account of himself against Denver that weekend and following that up with a triumphant performance over the New Orleans Saints in Week 9. And in the six games since his reentry, he’s looked every bit of the No. 1 overall pick that was drafted in 2023.

So, what if Dalton didn’t get injured? Would the Panthers have eventually wanted to get at least another look at Young before the 2024 season was over?

Head coach Dave Canales, who was largely non-committal to Young throughout much of the last few months, was asked exactly that on Monday.

“Yeah, it would’ve been really interesting,” Canales replied to ESPN’s David Newton. “And fortunately, fortunately, we got the opportunity, Bryce got the opportunity that he did. And on the other side of it, I was pulling for Andy at the time, too—who was building some weeks. He had a couple of rough weeks and was like, ‘Okay, here we go. Let’s get this thing back on track.’

“It’s two stories. And that’s life. Bryce made the most of his opportunities and here we are. Just, with the weekly growth and took another step in a positive direction against a really good team.”

That really good team was the Philadelphia Eagles, who narrowly avoided the biggest upset of the year in Week 14 to move to 11-2. Young passed for 191 yards, a touchdown and an interception against what was the No. 1-ranked defense coming into the weekend.

While those numbers didn’t translate into a win for the Panthers, Young stacked another encouraging outing on top of what’s been one of the best stories of the season.

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Panthers HC Dave Canales is asked if Bryce Young will be team’s starting QB moving forward

Panthers HC Dave Canales may have just given his strongest endorsement of Bryce Young since the QB’s return to the starting lineup.

Bryce Young is doing enough to remain the starting quarterback of the Carolina Panthers.

Head coach Dave Canales, who has been largely (and perhaps notoriously) non-committal about the quarterback position for much of the season, made some relatively early headway this past Sunday. In a bit of a departure from the norm, he named Young as the Week 13 starter right after the team’s Week 12 outing against the Kansas City Chiefs.

But did he make even more headway with Young on Wednesday?

Canales was asked if the 23-year-old passer will keep the job moving forward.

“As he continues to show us just the progress that we’re looking for as he continues to earn these moments, then yeah, he’ll be in there,” he replied. “And that’s what I’ve been most excited about is that there’s a weekly growth that’s happening.

“So, again, we’re just taking it a week at a time. I know that’s been my language, but he’s really taking the responsibility of it and pushing us that way. And the bottomline is, he’s giving us a chance to win in the weeks he’s been playing.”

Young, who was benched following a poor two-game start to the campaign, returned to the starting lineup in place of an injured Andy Dalton in Week 8.

In his four starts since, he’s completed 61.0 percent of his passes for 784 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions while leading the Panthers to a pair of wins.

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Panthers HC Dave Canales is asked if he’ll start Bryce Young for remainder of season

Is Panthers HC Dave Canales ready to commit to Bryce Young as his starting QB for the rest of the 2024 season? He was asked that on Monday.

Apparently, Bryce Young hasn’t made enough of a statement for Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales.

Canales, on Monday afternoon, named Young as the team’s starting quarterback for their Week 12 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. This Sunday’s contest will mark the fourth straight start for last year’s No. 1 overall pick.

“This is about the continued progress,” Canales told reporters after today’s practice. “This is about Bryce looking more and more confident as he’s out there. In Germany, just felt a real confidence and just an aggressiveness to his play and all those things. And, of course, the end result—winning. He continues to do things that put us in a position to put him back out there and continue to build on that.”

Young, who was benched in favor of 14th-year veteran Andy Dalton after a disappointing 0-2 start, took back over in Week 8—when Dalton injured his right thumb in a minor car accident. Since then, Young has completed 62.5 percent of his throws for 521 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions.

The latest of his three outings came in Munich, where the Panthers captured a 20-17 overtime victory over the New York Giants. The triumph gave the franchise their first winning streak since 2022.

But even after two consecutive wins, Young hasn’t been assured the job for the remainder of the campaign just yet.

Canales was then asked if he’ll continue to evaluate the position on a week-to-week basis.

“Yes, yes we will,” he replied. “We’ll continue to look at all the film, look at the whole situation and weigh all those things in.”

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Panthers name starting QB for Week 12 matchup vs. Chiefs

Panthers HC Dave Canales has named his starting QB for Week 12.

The Carolina Panthers are Bryce Young’s team . . . but still just on a week-to-week basis.

On Monday, head coach Dave Canales named Young as the team’s starting quarterback for their Week 12 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. This upcoming outing will mark the fourth straight start for the second-year passer, who was benched at the beginning of Week 3.

Young took a backseat to 14th-year veteran Andy Dalton after pacing the Panthers to just 13 points and a pair of blowout losses to begin the campaign. Dalton would headline Carolina’s 36-22 win over the Las Vegas Raiders in his first start, but proceeded to lead them to four consecutive losses from Weeks 4 to 7.

Canales and the Panthers went back to Young in Week 8, when Dalton injured his right thumb in a minor car accident. Young has since helped Carolina to a 2-1 mark while completing 62.5 percent of his passes for 521 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions.

Despite giving him the nod for Sunday, Canales would not commit to Young as the starter for the remainder of the season.

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Panthers beat writer predicts Andy Dalton will ‘get another crack’ as starting QB

Will the Panthers still give QB Andy Dalton another shot this season? One team beat writer seems to think so.

Perhaps only Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales knows the method behind his madness of not committing to Bryce Young as the team’s starting quarterback. But one writer might have a beat on it.

Joe Person of The Athletic opined on Wednesday that veteran Andy Dalton, even despite Young’s recent string of success, will “get another crack” under center at some point this season.

He writes:

This was among my predictions for the second half of the season. The Panthers are about to enter a murderer’s row schedule stretch against Kansas City, Tampa Bay and Philadelphia. If Young stumbles in one or more of those, don’t be surprised to see the Red Rifle behind center again, even though the more prudent play would be to stick with Young to see if he can be the guy going forward.

Dalton took over in Week 3, where he’d throw for 319 yards and three touchdowns in a 36-22 win against the Las Vegas Raiders. But the quality of play would digress over the next four outings, as the 14th-year quarterback averaged 167.5 passing yards per game with four scores and six picks in four straight losses.

A minor car accident at the beginning of Week 8 would result in a right thumb injury for Dalton, giving way for Young’s return to the lineup. Since then, the Panthers have gone 2-1 while Young has passed for 521 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions.

Nonetheless, Canales did not commit to Young following this past Sunday’s 20-17 victory over the New York Giants.

“Yeah, we’ll take all the information in and we’ll let you guys know,” he replied on Monday when asked if he’s ready to name a starting quarterback for Week 12. “Fortunately for us, we have some time to think this whole thing through.”

The Panthers will come out of this week’s bye to face the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, Nov. 24.

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Panthers HC Dave Canales still doesn’t name starting QB for Week 12

Panthers HC Dave Canales didn’t commit to Bryce Young as the team’s starting QB following their Week 10 win.

The Carolina Panthers are still making their quarterback decisions on a weekly basis.

Head coach Dave Canales spoke with reporters this afternoon to put a bow on Sunday’s 20-17 victory over the New York Giants. Yesterday’s win, the second straight for Canales and crew, saw quarterback Bryce Young turn in yet another encouraging performance under center—as he passed for 126 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions.

But that, seemingly, wasn’t enough to name the former No. 1 overall pick as his team’s starter moving forward.

“Yeah, we’ll take all the information in and we’ll let you guys know,” he replied when asked if he’s ready to name a starting quarterback for Week 12. “Fortunately for us, we have some time to think this whole thing through.”

Young, who was benched at the start of Week 3, returned to the starting lineup in Week 8 after veteran Andy Dalton injured his right thumb in a minor car accident. Dalton—over his five starts in that time—passed for 989 yards, seven touchdowns and six interceptions while leading the Panthers to a 1-4 record.

Prior to the benching, Young completed 55.4 percent of his throws for 245 yards, no scores and three picks. In his three starts back, he’s recorded a 62.5-percent completion rate with 521 passing yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions.

The Panthers now enter their Week 11 bye at 3-7. They will face the 9-0, defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs at home in Week 12.

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Carolina Panthers players who are free agents in 2025

With the trade deadline now behind us, let’s take a look at the Panthers who are set to become free agents following the 2024 season:

(This story was updated to add new information.)

The 2024 NFL trade deadline has come and gone, and it didn’t go without a few moves from the Carolina Panthers.

Last week, the team shipped off wideout Diontae Johnson to the Baltimore Ravens in a trade involving a late-round pick swap for the 2025 draft. And yesterday, in a much more favorable return, they sent fellow receiver Jonathan Mingo over to the Dallas Cowboys.

So now that those departures are official, we could start looking ahead towards free agency for quite a few more.

Here are Panthers whose contracts are set to expire following the season:

  • QB Andy Dalton
  • RB Chuba Hubbard (Signed four-year extension)
  • RB Raheem Blackshear (RFA)
  • WR David Moore
  • WR Jalen Coker (ERFA)
  • TE Tommy Tremble
  • TE Ian Thomas
  • TE Feleipe Franks (RFA)
  • OL Brady Christensen
  • OL Cade Mays
  • C Austin Corbett
  • DL LaBryan Ray
  • DL DeShawn Williams
  • DL Jonathan Harris
  • DL Raequan Williams (ERFA)
  • OLB Charles Harris
  • OLB Thomas Incoom
  • OLB Cam Gill
  • ILB Shaq Thompson
  • CB Mike Jackson
  • CB Lonnie Johnson Jr.
  • CB Anthony Brown
  • S Xavier Woods
  • S Jordan Fuller
  • S Sam Franklin Jr.
  • S Nick Scott
  • S Demani Richardson (ERFA)
  • K Eddy Piñeiro
  • P Johnny Hekker
  • LS JJ Jansen

*RFA = Restricted free agent
*ERFA = Exclusive rights free agent

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Panthers HC Dave Canales is asked if Bryce Young will start for remainder of season

Panthers HC Dave Canales still didn’t commit to Bryce Young as the team’s starting QB for the remainder of the season.

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales named Bryce Young as his team’s starting quarterback for Week 10. But is he willing to name Young as his team’s starting quarterback for the rest of the 2024 season?

On Wednesday, Canales told reporters that the former No. 1 overall pick will be under center against the New York Giants on Sunday. He explained why.

“This is about progress from one week to the next,” Canales stated. “I preach ‘finish.’ I talk about ‘finish’ all the time. Finish everything. Finish plays, drives, quarters, halves. Finishing games. He did a fantastic job of finishing that game the right way, finding a way to win and really battling that way. So I was really proud of Bryce for that.”

Young, in his second start back since being benched, led the Panthers to a 23-22 victory over the New Orleans Saints this past Sunday. He completed 16 of his 26 attempts for 171 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

Canales was then asked if he’s ready to commit to Young as the starter moving forward.

“Well, ya know, we have an opportunity to play this game, and we’re gonna take all the information in and then we’ll make a decision after that,” he replied.

Veteran Andy Dalton headed the offense in the five games following Young’s early-season benching. The Panthers went 1-4 in those outings, with the last seeing the 37-year-old throw for only 93 yards and two interceptions.

Young took the reins back in Week 8, after Dalton sustained a right thumb injury from a minor car accident. He’s since gone on to complete 63.5 percent of his passes for 395 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions.

Sheena Quick of FOX Sports Radio would later ask Canales if carrying on with uncertainty at the quarterback position has had an effect on both Young and Dalton.

“I mean, it has an effect on the whole team, for sure,” he replied. “We’d like to have that consistency and all that. But we’re in a situation where . . . I made a move early in the year to put Andy in and then we kinda had five games to collect some information. And then this situation put us to where we have a chance to evaluate Bryce and where he’s at.

“I know the challenges that it does face. So to be fair to your question, yes, it does present some challenges. But, again, like a bunch of positions on our team this year—I look at the opportunities, I look at the experience and all those things that we talk about. So, these are valuable games for us.”

Carolina will enter their Week 11 bye following this weekend’s trip to Munich, Germany.

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Panthers name their starting QB for Week 10 matchup vs. Giants

Panthers HC Dave Canales named his starting QB for Week 10 on Wednesday.

Are we back in the Bryce Age?

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales announced on Wednesday that Bryce Young will be the team’s starting quarterback for their Week 10 matchup against the New York Giants. The decision comes off the heels of yesterday’s 23-22 win over the New Orleans Saints.

Young connected on 16 of his 26 passing attempts for 171 yards, a touchdown and an interception in the triumph. In addition to recording his third career victory as a starter, the 23-year-old also led his first game-winning touchdown drive in the NFL—orchestrating a four-play, 64-yard possession that ended in a 16-yard score by running back Chuba Hubbard.

The former No. 1 overall pick returned to the starting lineup in Week 8, in place of an injured Andy Dalton. Over his two starts since, Young connected on 63.5 percent of his passes for 395 yards, three scores and three picks.

Dalton’s last outing came against the Washington Commanders in Week 7, where he threw for 93 yards and two interceptions.

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