Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales, who has been no stranger to controversy so far this season, has once again refused to commit to Bryce Young.
Following the team’s 23-22 upset win over the New Orleans Saints, Canales was all smiles as he took to the podium postgame to praise his team’s performance.
When asked on his thoughts of Bryce Young, who got to take a victory formation kneel down for the first time in his NFL career, Canales called Young’s performance “solid” and added that he was “proud of the step that he took” while acknowledging that Young “came up big in some critical moments.”
Anyone who simply looked at the box score without watching the game may not have thought much of Young’s performance. He completed 16 of his 26 pass attempts for 171 yards, one touchdown and one interception. However, his receivers dropped multiple passes, including a few phenomenal downfield passes (where Young has previously struggled). His sole interception came on a perfect back shoulder throw to rookie receiver Xavier Legette, who had the ball snatched out of his hands by Saints cornerback Shemar Jean-Charles.
Despite this, despite the vote of confidence from Young’s teammates, despite Young’s confidence showing out as he led his team to a comeback win, Canales still refuses to name Young the starting quarterback.
Asked on Monday if he was ready to commit to Young for the team’s Week 10 matchup in Germany against the New York Giants, Canales simply stated “not yet.”
Canales claimed he didn’t want to give away any “specific tips or tells” to keep the Giants from game planning for a specific quarterback. He also stated he wanted to make sure everyone in the building is “all on the same page.”
No one seems sure as to why Canales is so hesitant to commit to the former Heisman winner. After benching him two games into the season for 37-year-old Andy Dalton, Canales was adamant on keeping the veteran as the starter, despite a series of poor performances that contributed to Carolina’s 1-7 start to the season.
But a thumb injury to Dalton after a small car accident forced the hand of the staff to turn the keys over, albeit temporarily, to Young.
The way Canales has spoken in press conferences speaks to a strong confidence in Dalton, or a lack of confidence in Young. In addition, the way Dalton has spoken to the media since his injury speaks to his own confidence that, as soon as he’s healthy, the starting QB job will once again be his.
For a team that’s 2-7 and faces a gauntlet of a schedule the rest of the way, the playoffs are a foregone conclusion. A team in this position should instead focus on giving the younger players on the roster as many reps as possible, to give them experience and see who should be retained in the offseason. Starting Dalton would almost be counterintuitive at this point, as he’s set to become a free agent in the offseason and will be 38 next year.
In that case, why won’t Canales commit to Young? There are a few possible explanations…
The simplest explanation is that Canales simply wants to move on from Young. After all, a head coach benching a second-year starter after only two games doesn’t exactly bode well for the future of said player.
Dalton’s first game as Carolina’s starter this season was a good one: he led the team to a 36-22 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. That was enough for Canales to continue rolling with Dalton.
However, Dalton’s play steadily got worse as the weeks went on, and Carolina’s losing streak began anew. Canales refused to move away from Dalton, even after his worst outing in which he threw for less than 100 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions in a 40-7 thrashing courtesy of the Washington Commanders.
The aforementioned thumb injury has sidelined Dalton since that loss, but both Canales and Dalton have spoken as though the starting job will be Dalton’s once he’s healthy. If that’s the case, Canales truly is done with Young, and the QB will most certainly be traded away in the offseason.
Canales mentioned that he didn’t want to give any tips or tells by naming a starting QB. As silly as it may sound, Canales could be telling the truth, and simply wants to make game planning for his opponents (such as the upcoming Giants) as difficult as possible.
When Young has seen the field, Canales has called the offense in a drastically different way than that of when Dalton is under center. Under Dalton, Canales has opened the playbook and allowed more downfield throws and opportunities for big plays. Under Young, however, the offense has been far more conservative, focusing instead on screens, quick slants, and short passes that seldom go beyond the sticks.
Canales seemed to finally open the playbook a bit for Young and the offense on Sunday, as they attempted to push the ball downfield against the Saints. Young showed improvement on these deeper pass attempts, connecting with Legette and fellow rookies Jalen Coker and Ja’Tavion Sanders.
Without naming a starting QB, Canales is forcing New York to approach Sunday’s game unsure of who – and how – to defend.
It’s no secret that Dave Tepper is one of the most involved owners in the NFL. Perhaps too involved, at times.
Rumors swirled around the team last year that Tepper overruled his former coaching staff by forcing the selection of Young at number one overall instead of CJ Stroud. That was part of why the decision to bench Young was so shocking; Tepper willingly gave up multiple assets to draft Young, but was suddenly behind Canales’s idea of benching him.
While it’s only a rumor, there’s a chance that Young’s benching came not from Canales, but instead from Tepper himself. Canales giving answers that aren’t exactly straightforward could be because he’s waiting to hear from the boss himself what to do next.
The trade rumors surrounding Young have only gotten stronger thanks to his performance against New Orleans. Should Carolina move Young in the offseason, they’ll be right back at square one – and one team will be getting a QB who’s confident and ready to prove why he was the number one overall pick.
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