Dave Canales' answer said it all. Less than 24 hours after declaring that Bryce Young would remain the Carolina Panthers ' starting quarterback, Canales on Monday reversed course and announced he was benching the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL draft .
When word first broke of the move prior to the revelation, it was unclear what spurred the decision. Were the Panthers inserting veteran Andy Dalton as a way of giving Young a temporary break amid an 0-2 start? Or was the move a referendum on the young passer's development and standing with the franchise? “After watching the film and taking in all of the information I feel like Andy gives us the best chance to win,” Canales said. Centering the team's immediate competitiveness rather than its long-term outlook on its priciest investment – Carolina gave up standout WR DJ Moore along with two first-round picks and two second-rounders to land the No.
1 pick from the Chicago Bears – might have been a necessary move in Canales' eyes. But it's no doubt a departure from where the franchise stood even just this summer. When Canales was hired in January, perhaps his top selling point was the work he had done in rejuvenating quarterbacks in need of a reset, most notably Geno Smith with the Seattle Seahawks and Baker Mayfield with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
That track record was obviously appealing to an organization coming off a disastrous debut season for Young, in which head coach Frank Reich was fired after just 11 games and the rook.