Dave Canales assigned Bryce Young to cleanup in Week 5. The final minutes of the Carolina Panthers’ 36-10 loss to the Chicago Bears provided the first glimpse of Young on the court from his bench there at three weeks.
In the final minutes of Sunday’s loss to the Bears, Canales assumed the role of protective quarterback. Interestingly, the quarterback he protected wasn’t last year’s No. 1 overall pick, Bryce Young, but rather 36-year-old veteran Andy Dalton, who took over in the third week.
With two key offensive linemen sidelined due to injuries and the Panthers trailing by four scores, Canales explained that his main concern did not give Young the opportunity to regain confidence. Instead, his goal was to prevent Dalton from taking unnecessary shots in an already decided match.
Dave Canales just protected Andy Dalton
“We had some injuries on the offensive line and we wanted to get him in there, get some live reps. And he did a fantastic job, playing with energy, extending plays, finding success on the field – which is 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 was highlighted by 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 difficult situation. At that point, it was like, OK, with the different things going on on the offensive line, it was something where I wanted to get Andy out of there and just give Bryce the opportunity to continue to play there -in while we had time. » remarked Dave Canales.
About 25 minutes later, Canales confirmed that Andy Dalton would continue as the starting quarterback.
Bryce Young lives up to Panthers expectations
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, appearing overwhelmed and often leaving pockets clean without fully progressing in his routes.
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Watching Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams play repeatedly, especially with DJ Moore, was a stark reminder of how much the Panthers sacrificed to acquire Young with the No. 1 overall pick.
The Panthers’ offense improved significantly 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 didn’t present it as a chance for Young to recalibrate by watching Dalton run the offense. Having joined the team after Scott Fitterer and Dan Morgan, the former assistant general manager, traded two first-round picks, two second-round picks and DJ Moore for the first pick, Canales does not have a significant interest in Young’s growth. .
However, with injuries piling up on both ends of the court, the Panthers can expect more games like Sunday, where they scored first but then allowed the Bears to score 30 unanswered points for a win decisive. It’s not like Dalton is going to have a playoff campaign.
The Panthers struggled to find an offensive rhythm in Week 5, whether because of their own performance or Chicago’s defense. They finished the game with just 292 total yards. However, following such an outburst, it seems Canales is not inclined to make quick changes.
