Bryce Young is set to take some time off.

The Carolina Panthers have decided to bench their top draft pick from 2023, a player they traded heavily for 18 months ago, in order to give veteran Andy Dalton the starting quarterback spot.

“Andy provides the best chance for us to win at this moment,” said rookie head coach Dave Canales during a Monday afternoon press conference. “I’m looking forward to seeing him play.”

Canales communicated the change in depth chart to both Young and Dalton on Monday morning, but did not confirm whether Dalton would remain the starter beyond Week 3.

It has been a tough season for Young, the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner, as he has struggled to meet the expectations that came with being the top draft selection. In his 18 professional games, the Panthers have won only 2. Personally, Young has completed under 60% of his passes and has a passer rating of just 70.9. He has thrown 12 touchdowns but also has 19 turnovers, often appearing uneasy while playing. His ability to quickly read and respond to plays, a skill considered his standout feature leading to the draft and thought to compensate for his smaller size (5-10, 204), has yet to translate effectively to the professional level.

Young is already on his third head coach, with Canales at the helm, in addition to dealing with several different play callers and being part of one of the least talented rosters in the NFL. He had a particularly challenging outing, where he threw for only 84 yards in a 26-3 defeat against the Los Angeles Chargers—a disappointing home opener that saw fans leaving before the game ended.

“I need to improve my decision-making,” Young reflected after the game. “I aim to make impactful plays. A crucial role of being a quarterback is to manage the game effectively. There were some poor decisions on film today, and I fully accept my part in that.”

When asked after the loss whether Young’s position was at risk, Canales responded that it was not.

“Bryce is our quarterback,” he mentioned previously. “We are going to continue to work on the basics we need to correct from a scheme perspective and other aspects. Every game is a valuable opportunity for growth; we’ll learn from this experience and look to improve next week.”

Dalton, 36, is a three-time Pro Bowler with a career total of 38,511 passing yards and 246 touchdowns across 14 seasons. He previously recorded 361 passing yards and two touchdowns in his only start in 2023, which resulted in a 37-27 defeat to Seattle, while Young was sidelined due to injury.

The struggling Panthers, still without a win, are set to face the Raiders in Las Vegas this upcoming Sunday.

What did the Panthers sacrifice in trading for Bryce Young?

The benching of Young is particularly disheartening for Panthers fans, considering the significant assets the team gave up to secure him.

Approximately six weeks prior to the 2023 draft, then-general manager Scott Fitterer traded for the No. 1 pick from the Chicago Bears, surrendering wide receiver DJ Moore—who was the Panthers’ top offensive player at that time—along with a first and second-round pick in 2023, a first-rounder for 2024 that was eventually utilized to select USC quarterback Caleb Williams, and a second-round pick in 2025.

While it’s still relatively early in the assessment, this trade could become one of the most lopsided in NFL history, as Williams was widely regarded as a superior prospect compared to Young a year after. Meanwhile, Moore achieved a career-high with 1,364 receiving yards for Chicago in 2023, marking the fourth-highest single-season total in the team’s extensive history.

Bryce Young statistics

2023: Games (16); record (2-14); completed passes (315 of 527 attempts, 59.8%) for 2,877 yards, 11 touchdowns, 10 interceptions; 73.7 QB rating; 253 rushing yards, 6 fumbles lost.

2024: Games (2); record (0-2); completed passes (31 of 56 attempts, 55.4%) for 245 yards, 0 touchdowns, 3 interceptions; 44.1 QB rating; 18 rushing yards, 1 touchdown.

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Follow YSL News Sports’ Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter, @ByNateDavis.