Dave Canales’ Bryce Young revelation sparks outrage
Dave Canales put Bryce Young in for clean-up duty during Week 5. The final minutes of the Carolina Panthers’ 36-10 defeat to the Chicago Bears provided the first glimpse of Young on the field since his benching three weeks ago.
In the closing minutes of Sunday’s loss to the Bears, Canales assumed the role of quarterback protector. Interestingly, the quarterback he safeguarded wasn’t last year’s No. 1 pick, Bryce Young, but rather the 36-year-old veteran, Andy Dalton, who had taken over as the starter in Week 3.
With two key offensive linemen sidelined due to injuries and the Panthers trailing by four scores, Canales explained that his primary concern wasn’t giving Young an opportunity to regain confidence. Instead, his focus was on preventing Dalton from taking unnecessary hits in an already decided game.
Dave Canales just protecting Andy Dalton
Dave Canales says he played Bryce Young in part because he didn’t want Andy Dalton playing behind beat-up OL in lopsided loss. pic.twitter.com/wUqsE2VgCd
— Joe Person (@josephperson) October 6, 2024
“We had a couple of injuries on the offensive line and wanting to get him in there, get some live reps. And he did a fantastic job, playing with energy, extending plays, finding some completions down the field — which is all fantastic,” said the Panthers head coach.
Against the Bears’ (3-2) prevent defense, which included several second-team players, Young went 4-for-7, throwing for 58 yards. His return to the field featured a cool off-platform pass to Miles Sanders for a 27-yard gain, marking his first action since the Week 2 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
“It’s a hard situation. At that point it was just like, OK, with the different things happening on the offensive line, it was something where I wanted to get Andy out of there and just give Bryce an opportunity to continue some football in there while we had time,” Dave Canales remarked.
Roughly 25 minutes later, Canales confirmed that Andy Dalton would continue as the starting quarterback.
Bryce Young performing under expectations for the Panthers
Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
Canales made the appropriate decision to bench Young at that time. The 23-year-old appeared to be a shadow of his Heisman-winning self, looking overwhelmed and often leaving clean pockets without fully progressing through his routes.
Watching Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams repeatedly make plays, especially with DJ Moore, served as a stark reminder of how much the Panthers sacrificed to acquire Young with the top overall pick.
The Panthers’ offense had significantly improved with Dalton at the helm until Sunday, when their downfield passing game disappeared, and Dalton threw an interception, contributing to one of the team’s three turnovers.
When Canales benched Young, he did not present it as a chance for Young to recalibrate by observing Dalton manage the offense. Having joined the team after Scott Fitterer and Dan Morgan, the former assistant general manager, traded away two first-round picks, two second-round picks, and DJ Moore for the top pick, Canales doesn’t have a significant stake in Young’s growth.
However, with injuries piling up on both sides of the field, the Panthers can expect more games like Sunday, where they initially scored but then allowed the Bears to score 30 unanswered points for a decisive victory. It’s not as if Dalton is going to spearhead a playoff run.
The Panthers struggled to find any rhythm on offense in Week 5, whether due to their own performance or Chicago’s defense. They finished the game with only 292 total yards. However, in the wake of such a blowout, it appears that Canales isn’t inclined to make any rapid changes.
The post Dave Canales’ Bryce Young revelation sparks outrage appeared first on ClutchPoints.
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