BREAKING: Panthers name Andy Dalton as starting QB. (via @TomPelissero) pic.twitter.com/eCZbucMOhM
— NFL (@NFL) September 16, 2024
The Carolina Panthers have decided to go a different direction at the quarterback position after a tough start to the season for Bryce Young. They will now be starting former New Orleans Saints quarterback Andy Dalton for Week 3, and potentially beyond. The Panthers will visit the Las Vegas Raiders next, on Sept. 22.
Young has had a tumultuous first 18 games in his NFL career, going 2-16 in the games he started with 3,122 passing yards and 11 passing touchdowns against 13 interceptions, worth a 33.4 quarterback rating.
One of the last games he played before this benching was the Panthers’ 47-10 loss to the Saints in Week 1, in which Young went 13 for 30 with 161 yards (5.4 yards per attempt) and 2 interceptions without a touchdown, which yielded a 12.2 QBR. He was also sacked 4 times for a loss of 26 yards, and has been sacked 68 times for 518 yards in his career (on 10.45% of his dropbacks) which is also worth noting.
Ultimately this was a quick decision, as Young had very little opportunity to really grow under new head coach Dave Canales, and will now have to work to take that opportunity back from the veteran journeyman. Dalton unexpectedly started 14 games for the Saints in 2022 (in which they went 6-8) after replacing an injured Jameis Winston, completing 252 of his 378 passes for 2,871 yards (7.6 yards per attempt) with 18 touchdowns against 9 interceptions. He was sacked 25 times. In his career Dalton has started 163 games but he has a 83-78-2 record. We’ll see if he remains the starter when the Saints visit Carolina on Nov. 3.
