Will the Carolina Panthers trade quarterback Bryce Young after benching him?
It’s not every day you see a former No. 1 pick get demoted to the bench but that’s the situation in Carolina. Not surprisingly, rumors of a trade have begun.
At 0-2 on the season so far, the Carolina Panthers aren’t operating outside of normality by tinkering with their starting lineup. That said, a change under center is always going to grab attention, and even more so when the quarterback in question comes as highly rated as this one does. Nonetheless, here we are with rumors running and a franchise having to clear the air.
Panthers have no intention to trade Bryce Young
By now it should be clear that the Carolina Panthers have a situation on their hands. On Monday, the team took the shocking decision to bench its starting quarterback, Bryce Young, who gave way to the more experienced Andy Dalton. As mentioned above, Young was the top pick in the NFL Draft - just last year to be specific - which wasn’t a surprise as he was the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner. The point here is, that his demotion to the sideline has caused some head-scratching.
Further fuel was added to the fire after it was understood that Young was said to be “pissed” about the decision. While that position is completely understandable, it’s worth noting that it was made public. With that, we come to the latest twist in the story: Trade rumors. With Young’s status and his subsequent response, the rumor mill went into full swing such that Panthers head coach Dave Canales was left with no other option than to address the chatter on Wednesday afternoon.
“That’s not something we’re really considering,” Canales said via The Athletic of a potential Young trade. “We have a great situation with our quarterbacks right now... We love where we’re at and we’re all hands on deck. We’re focused on playing the (Las Vegas) Raiders this week.” For the record, Young has completed 31 of his 56 passes in two games this season for zero touchdowns and three interceptions.
As things stand, it will be Dalton who starts under center when the Panthers visit the Raiders on Sunday, marking only the second time that the 36-year-old has done so since September of 2023. Where Young is concerned, this is now simply about whether he can rise to the challenge. Kickoff is set for 4.05 p.m. ET at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. Don’t miss it!