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.”
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.
The Carolina Panthers, for the first time since 2022, have themselves a winning streak. And that recent success can be attributed, in part, to the recent resurgence of quarterback Bryce Young.
Young put forth a third straight encouraging performance in this past Sunday’s 20-17 win over the New York Giants. But his stat line—which reads for 15 completions on 25 attempts, 126 yards and a touchdown—doesn’t tell the full story. In this case, the film gives us a much better picture of how last year’s No. 1 overall pick is getting closer to living up to his billing.
Let’s take a look at some of Young’s best looks from the All-22, starting with the first play from scrimmage on Carolina’s second possession of the game . . .
Young has a seven-man protection working from under center and play-action. This is a well-executed front, but notice the quarterback navigate, manipulate and anticipate.
As Young climbs the pocket, you can see the two deep-third defenders begin to bail to the post while the high-hole linebacker ever so slightly creeps towards the line of scrimmage, opening the second window to throw into.
The ability to distribute as a point guard of sorts, a strength we saw so often from the University of Alabama version of Young, hasn’t showed up consistently in the NFL. It did, however, show on the first touchdown of the contest.
A true point guard at QB. This is shades of Alabama Bryce…being able to create and facilitate to open targets. #Pantherspic.twitter.com/biMhPkKQE8
At the top of his drop, he slips on the grass only to regain his balance to keep his eyes on moving targets. With nothing available, he works to open grass before quickly dumping the pass off to an open Ja’Tavion Sanders in the end zone to conclude their first 90-yard drive of the game.
Young continued to play and throw with great anticipation. At the start of Carolina’s second 90-yard scoring drive, the offense is facing second-and-6 deep in their own territory.
This is an instance of head coach Dave Canales finding the stable of what the Panthers passing game could be. In recent weeks, over routes and crossing patterns against high safety and low linebackers have generated second-window anticipation throws for the quarterback for early down wins and chunk plays. This is one of those plays.
Bryce threw with a lot of anticipation in this game with success (mostly).
Standout rookie receiver Jalen Coker is running an over route, seemingly looking for the void in the high hole. Young places this ball over Coker’s frame, an accurate throw above the linebacker.
The toss is another high-level anticipatory pass—because if you pause the video of when Young is about to begin his throwing motion, Coker is just behind the linebacker on the field side.
One of the biggest improvements from Young since returning to the starting lineup is his composure and poise in tough situations. The Young of old would’ve likely made an indecisive decision on this play, a second-and-11 after back-to-back penalties negated a touchdown.
Instead, Canales calls an almost identical play from a week ago, where running back Chuba Hubbard hits a flat to the sideline while wideout David Moore has an inside dig, or short post. Again, this is another anticipation throw in a tough down and distance inside the red zone.
Coming off back-to-back penalties on 2nd & 11. Great anticipation from Bryce Good RPMs on the throw. Almost the same play/pass to Moore last week vs. Saints. pic.twitter.com/Rn5tptSRTr
The Giants are playing off-man Cover 1—and as the linebacker attempts to cover Hubbard in the flat, he collides with Moore. Generally, Young has shown to get spooked by this disruption in the past. Instead, he shows trust in his receiver to make the play.
By the time Moore gets his head around, the ball is already out and away from the defender—allowing him to convert and help set up Hubbard’s rushing touchdown. This is sound execution from the quarterback and wide receiver.
The verdict
Young should be the starting quarterback for Carolina moving forward. This should not be a week-to-week evaluation from the head coach.
His month-long benching may have been a blessing in disguise. He looks a lot more confident as a passer and is playing soundly with composure and poise.
Young did miss some throws and had a few others dropped, but the tape showed a second-year quarterback who has possibly found his edge again. I didn’t find a single turnover-worthy pass, which shows how clean of a game he had.
Canales should not be toying or messing around with the most important position on the team. It’s hard to say if he still believes in Young with the way he has voiced and worded his thoughts on both signal-callers.
Whether it’s an odd attempt at gamesmanship or trying to keep the quarterback room competitive, it is starting to get old fast. If Canales and his staff are so adamant about being a development group, then Young is the obvious choice to be the starter—regardless of how he performs week in and week out.
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 Athleticopined 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.
Panthers QB Bryce Young, since returning to the starting lineup three weeks ago, has something in common with MVP front-runners Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen.
Hey, look at Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young with 2024 Most Valuable Player front-runners Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen.
Who would have thought?
Not us.
Since returning to the starting lineup three weeks ago, Young has inspired at least a sprinkle of hope for the Panthers. The much-improved version of last year’s No. 1 overall pick has completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 521 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions while helping lead Carolina to a 2-1 mark.
He’s also, perhaps more impressively, done this . . .
Since Week 8, four quarterbacks have led their teams to multiple 90+ yard touchdown drives.
Justin Herbert
Josh Allen
Lamar Jackson
Bryce Young
The first of those drives came near the end of the Week 8 loss to the Denver Broncos. Young orchestrated a 10-play, 98-yard possession that finished up with a 15-play touchdown throw to rookie wideout Jalen Coker.
The second happened this past Sunday, in the first quarter of the 20-17 victory over the New York Giants. That one was punctuated by a 5-yard connection between Young and rookie tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders for the opening points of the contest.
As of this writing, Carolina head coach Dave Canales still has yet to commit to Young as the starter moving forward.
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.
Panthers QB Bryce Young and Giants OLB Brian Burns embraced a few times this past weekend in Germany.
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young got more than just his swagger back this past weekend.
His team’s Week 10 visit to Munich, Germany ended in glorious fashion—as the Panthers walked off on the New York Giants en route to a 20-17 victory. The overtime win saw Young deliver yet another encouraging performance—as he passed for 126 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions in a clean, confident and effective offering.
Young’s triumphant trip overseas also gave him the opportunity to reconnect with an old friend, New York Giants outside linebacker Brian Burns.
Burns, of course, spent the first five seasons of his NFL career in Carolina before being traded to New York this past spring. The last, 2023, was Young’s first—one in which the two evidently built a very strong bond.
Here’s a shot of Young and Burns meeting up in Munich prior to kickoff of Sunday’s matchup:
Or is his bar so low that even below-average quarterbacking seems like progress?
It took 27 games, but for the first time in his career, Bryce Young has an NFL winning streak.
Young, elevated back to the Carolina Panthers’ starting lineup after Andy Dalton suffered a minor injury in a car accident, is in the midst of his finest stretch as a pro. With three wins, his Panthers have already exceeded their 2023 total.
This all gestures broadly to the subterranean expectations in Carolina right now. But it also brings up an important question. Is Young, the first overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, actually good?
Young has had moments of capability in the past. As a rookie he alternated positive and negative performances early in the season, culminating with a win over the Houston Texans where he did enough to beat C.J. Stroud, the franchise quarterback drafted one spot after him. In Weeks 15 and 16 he beat the Atlanta Falcons and narrowly lost to the Green Bay Packers, shining in particular against now-deposed Green Bay defensive coordinator Joe Barry.
But Young had never strung together back-to-back games with a positive expected points added (EPA). He still hasn’t, even in his two-week win streak.
While he dispatched the New York Giants and New Orleans Saints, he didn’t exactly shine. He needed 26 passes to throw for only 171 yards in Week 9. In Munich, Germany he dropped back 26 times for 118 net passing yards. Only one Panther had more than 41 receiving yards in either of those wins — rookie tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders.
That was a slick touchdown pass, built from pressure and improvised to perfection. That’s the guy the Panthers wanted when they drafted Young; a quarterback whose skill manifested in an unquantifiable ability to rise up to the moment. Let’s flip through some of his bigger throws of the afternoon and see if that trait lingered or disappeared once again.
Let’s talk about Young’s good throws
Here, Young helps his cause with a huge pickup on third-and-long late in the fourth quarter protecting a three-point lead. But while it shows up as a positive on the box score it’s not all encouraging.
Bryce Young got the big third down conversion here but, uh, didn't quite exude confidence in the pocket with this one pic.twitter.com/mw276U2zOj
Young floats this sideline route, not stepping all the way into this long toss thanks to pressure coming up the gut that forces him to jump backward. The low velocity allows Dane Belton to close the gap between him and Xavier Legette and nearly erase the gain.
That’s a conglomeration of the two concerns that followed him to the NFL — his size to play through static in the pocket and the arm strength to flick passes deep (or, in this case, deep-ish) to the sideline. But it worked, so it’s tough to nitpick too thoroughly.
Let’s look at another intermediate completion that saw Young elevate a rookie wideout. This time, it’s undrafted free agent Jalen Coker:
With time to set his feet, Young still gives us a little tap dance before unleashing a dart over the middle. It’s slightly off target but still in Coker’s range for a 24-yard gain that moved Carolina out of the shadow of its end zone en route to a field goal and an early 10-0 lead. These are all plays that can be worked around; imperfect but promising. This wasn’t all Sunday had in store for the second-year quarterback.
Young completed only four of his nine passes that traveled at least 10 yards downfield. That pass to Coker above was one of 10 that he threw to his left and beyond the line of scrimmage. He completed two of them.
via nextgenstats.nfl.com
Let’s talk about Young’s bad throws
Here’s one of those misses. On third-and-4 Dexter Lawrence’s pressure up the gut creates problems in the pocket. Young takes the ball from a shotgun snap and takes roughly seven steps straight backward. He’s unable to step into his throw and short-arms a pass to Coker, forcing a punt:
There are extenuating circumstances at play, from Lawrence’s rush to decent enough coverage to the fact head coach Dave Canales drew up a play with several long-developing routes knowing Lawrence has feasted this season. But Young gets caught up in the static around him, narrows his field of vision and cannot execute.
Here’s another third down target downfield for Coker. Young sees his young wideout in single coverage and makes the correct choice. But pressure forces him to put on his dancing shoes and he’s nearly hopping while throwing this ball from the pocket. This, with an assist from what maaaaaay have been some uncalled defensive holding, leads to an overthrow and gives New York the chance to rally late in a three-point game.
None of this is especially surprising. Young is completing 66 percent of his passes with a clean pocket and 42 percent when pressured, per NFL Pro. He can be a solid improvisor, but he’s been unable to rise up and be better than the chaos around him.
There’s no reason to pull him from the lineup. Andy Dalton remains very much Andy Dalton and Young supplies plays to inspire brief moments of hope. Even so, the issues that plagued him pre-benching remain.
He’s anxious in the pocket, struggles to set his feet and doesn’t do a great job of creating space behind the line of scrimmage in a way that opens up his passing game. Young’s time to throw under pressure goes up to 3.67 seconds per dropback compared to 2.38 when he’s clean, but his passer rating dips from 66.9 to 55.2 in these situations.
Young gets a bye week to soak up these good vibes and churn more tape, figuring out ways to find the room to plant his feet and drive big throws downfield. The next two teams he’s scheduled to face are the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, two teams that rank 19th and 18th in defensive pressure rate this season, respectively. It’s possible Young continues to look “not bad” out there.
He’s also not fixed. Canales still has a lot of work ahead of him to turn his former franchise quarterback into a current or future one. For now, Young owns his first-ever winning streak. He hasn’t been especially impressive, but he’s been efficient enough to beat bad opponents. If nothing else, that’s progress.
For the first time since drafting Bryce Young, the Panthers have themselves a winning streak. Young spoke about it on Sunday.
Wins haven’t been easy to come by for Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers over the past two years. The past two weeks, however, have told a much different (and much happier) story.
Young spoke with reporters following Sunday’s 20-17 walk-off win over the New York Giants. The victory, Carolina’s second in a row, saw the former No. 1 overall pick complete 15 of his 25 throws for 126 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions.
He was asked what he’s learned about his team in their pair of triumphs.
“Just the resilience of this team,” he replied. “Overtime win today, win last week that was back and forth with a good drive to take the game and the defense coming up big with a stop with just a one-point lead. Just the resilience.
“It hasn’t been always the prettiest, hasn’t been perfect. But just us being able to stick together, trust in each other, play for each other—I think has just been the biggest thing that’s stood out.”
As it did for Young and the offense, the resilience proved valuable for the defense—even in a pretty ugly drive to end regulation. After allowing the Giants to score a game-tying field goal off a 12-play, 55-yard drive late in the fourth quarter, defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson and linebacker Josey Jewell teamed up for a forced fumble and recovery on the very first play of overtime.
Four plays later, kicker Eddy Piñeiro booted through the game-clinching 36-yard field goal. The successful kick gave the Panthers their first overtime victory since 2015.
Young was then asked what he’s learned about himself during the run.
“Honestly, the same,” he replied. “Just leanin’ on this team. We’ve had a lot of different moments. We’ve had a lot of adversity. And for me, just the ability to know on offense I have ten other guys that I know are gonna do their job, I know are gonna compete, that I’m grateful to go to war with. And the defense being the same, having all the faith in the world in them. Not saying it’s different—it’s just great, us, growing in that together.”
The Panthers, since returning Young to the starting lineup in Week 8, are 2-1 over his last three starts.
Panthers HC Dave Canales was asked if he’ll commit to Bryce Young as the team’s starting QB after their second straight win.
For the third straight post-game press conference, Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales stopped short of naming Bryce Young as his team’s starting quarterback moving forward. But the latest non-answer was his strongest yet.
Canales spoke with reporters following his team’s 20-17 overtime win over the New York Giants on Sunday. Young, in helping the Panthers pick up their second consecutive victory, completed 15 of his 25 throws for 126 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions.
So, now that that franchise has its first winning streak since 2022, Canales was asked if Young’s status as their starter has been solidified.
“I’m just so proud of Bryce,” he replied. “I’m so proud of taking the next step again. I thought he had a great day, thought it could’ve been a fantastic day. I thought a few balls got away from us a couple of times that really would’ve turned into an exceptional day.
“But he handled the rush well, he handled the different coverage looks and all that. So, again, we’ll take all the information, we’ll do all that. But Bryce certainly is making a statement to all of us. So I just can’t tell you how proud I am of just weekly progress and that’s the goal for all of us.”
The Panthers are now 2-1 in Young’s three outings since he returned to the starting lineup.
