Bryce Young To Remain Panthers’ 2024 Starting QB

Bryce YoungThe 2024 season didn’t start the way he or the Panthers wanted it to. However, he will remain atop Carolina’s quarterback depth chart for at least the rest of the season.

Young was benched in favor of Andy Dalton in Week 3, a move that put his Panthers future in doubt. Quarterbacks who lose their starting berth shortly after arriving in the draft do not have a long history of regaining it and remaining with their original team. Dalton, who suffered a sprained thumb in a car accident, moved Young back atop the depth chart by default in Week 8, and he has maintained the starter’s role since then.

Head coach Dave Canales had previously declined to declare Young the Panthers’ full-time starter despite keeping him in place every week. The first-time head coach changed his stance on that this week, but confirmed it will be last year’s No. 1 pick that controls the attack the rest of the way. The way Young responded to his poor outing against the Cowboys in Week 15 played a role in that decision.

“Watching him in the game was it was so impressive,” Canales said (video connection via Alex Zietlow of the Charlotte Observer). “To see him just continue to stay in there, have his footwork exactly where he needed to be to throw to No. 1 in progression and really still see the field… I’ve been around football for 15 years and see, where games like that can really pile up on a guy. To see him handle it and to talk to his teammates and keep working through the issues, I thought was so impressive and I wanted to be sure he knew.”

Young threw a pair of interceptions Sunday and also lost two fumbles. Overall, turnovers and sacks have been an issue again in 2024, but since returning to the lineup, the 23-year-old has shown glimpses of his potential. Especially with the Panthers sitting well outside the playoff hunt at 3-11, it comes as no surprise that the team plans to keep Young in place to close out the season and thus give him additional opportunities to develop.

The Alabama product hasn’t done enough before or since Canales’ arrival to cement himself as the Panthers’ undisputed franchise quarterback, but with his rookie contract running through 2026 (or 2027 if his fifth-year option comes into play) there is still plenty of time to change it. For the upcoming offseason, adding competition for the QB1 gig could be an option; at a minimum, it will be necessary to re-sign Dalton (a pending free agent) or bring in another experienced veteran.

Recent signs have pointed to the Panthers turning their attention to positions other than quarterback at the top of this year’s draft. Carolina is headed for a high selection on Day 1, but the team could find itself out of reach for Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward. Given the Panthers’ struggles on defense, adding on that side of the ball would be a reasonable approach during the first round. There is plenty of time to make a decision on that front, and Young’s evaluation process will include three more games at the helm.