Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales hasn’t kept his close relationship with owner David Tepper much of a secret. But he still doesn’t plan on divulging many, if any details about their interactions—especially today.
On Monday, Canales announced the team’s decision to bench second-year quarterback Bryce Young. Young, who will give way to veteran Andy Dalton beginning in Week 3, has struggled to start the 2024 season—as he’s passed for just 245 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions over two blowout losses.
When taking questions, Canales was asked if Tepper had any role in the move.
“I wanna keep that private,” Canales replied. “What I would like to say though is this is something after I watched the film. I looked at it, had a thought, starting working on talking to the guys that we make decisions with. Certainly, a lot of parties involved there. And ultimately, this comes on me, and my No. 1 responsibility is to help the Panthers win. And so this move, I believe, puts us in the best chance to do that this week.”
Tepper, of course, has garnered quite the reputation of being a bit hands-on as an owner. He helped complete perhaps the biggest move in franchise history last spring, when they traded up to the 2023 draft’s No. 1 overall pick in a massive deal with the Chicago Bears.
Unfortunately, that investment has failed to pay off. The Panthers have gone 2-16 in games started by Young, who is now averaging 173.4 passing yards per game with 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in his NFL career.
Canales told reporters that he spoke with coaches as well as president of football operations/general manager Dan Morgan and executive vice president of football operations Brandt Tilis before making the decision.
