The Carolina Panthers on Monday announced that they have benched quarterback Bryce Young, and there has been a lot of speculation about the decision coming from ownership. That apparently was not the case.
Andy Dalton will start in place of Young when the Panthers travel to Las Vegas to take on the Raiders this Sunday. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Panthers owner David Tepper did not have a hand in the decision, which was made by head coach Dave Canales, general manager Dan Morgan and executive vice president Brandt Tillis.
The decision to bench former No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young is said to have come from HC Dave Canales, GM Dan Morgan and EVP Brandt Tillis. As one source said, “Dave Canales’ first big-boy decision.” https://t.co/GO9i14Z7jC
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 16, 2024
Canales later told reporters that he is the one who began thinking about making a quarterback change after he watched film.
“This is something after I watched the film, I looked at it, had a thought and started working on talking to the guys that we make decisions with,” Canales said. “There’s certainly a lot of parties involved there. Ultimately this comes on me, and my number one responsibility is to help the Panthers win. So this move, I believe, puts us in the best chance to do that.”
Dave Canales declines to say what role David Tepper had in the Bryce Young decision. pic.twitter.com/NR92UujGe4
— Joe Person (@josephperson) September 16, 2024
Tepper has a reputation for meddling in football decisions. There were rumors last year that former Panthers head coach Frank Reich wanted to draft C.J. Stroud and was overruled by Tepper, though the owner naturally denied that. Tepper fired Reich last year midway through Reich’s first season on the job.
It would be a surprise if Tepper was not consulted at all before Canales benched Young, but perhaps everyone has seen enough of the former Alabama star after his brutal start to the season.
