Following another loss for the Carolina Panthers, they made a sudden decision. The Panthers benched starting quarterback Bryce Young for backup and veteran signal-caller Andy Dalton. Hall-of-Fame quarterback Kurt Warner was honest about the benching on the Pat McAfee Show.

“It's a tough situation to get benched at any point of your career but Bryce Young hasn't played good football,” Warner said. “You can understand from a football perspective why they made this move but the team isn't great around him.”

Warner makes two very valid points about Young. His leading receiver was 33-year-old Adam Thielen. Even though he had 1,014 yards and four touchdowns, Thielen was a shell of himself when he was with the Minnesota Vikings. His second and third receivers (DJ Chark and Jonathan Mingo) had 525 and 418 yards, respectively. Both Chark and Mingo didn't have a receiving touchdown on the season.

Although Young was upset about the move, the Panthers are coming off a league-worst 2-15 record in 2023. They opened the season with two straight losses, in which Young didn't perform well. He's thrown for a combined 245 yards and three interceptions. His passer rating is a woeful 44.1. The numbers don't do Young justice to keep the starting job.

Can Bryce Young win the starting job again with the Panthers?

Bryce Young receives harsh criticism from Hall-of-Fame quarterback
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Young can win the starting position. However, time will tell if he's ready. The Panthers have Dalton as their starter going forward. This move could be beneficial for Young, as he was thrown into the fire immediately without any real weapons. Dalton is a proven quarterback and was in Young's position with the Cincinnati Bengals. Dalton is a three-time pro bowler who led the Bengals to the playoffs multiple times.

Also, head coach Dave Canales has a history of working with quarterbacks who faced adversity. Most notably, Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield had stellar seasons under Canales. When he took the job with the Panthers, Canales was adamant on Young being his guy. Two weeks later, he changed his mind. It's hard to say if Canales was influenced by Panthers owner David Tepper in the decision.

Regardless, Young has an opportunity to learn from a veteran. Not all teams can do what the Green Bay Packers did with Jordan Love sitting behind Aaron Rodgers for three seasons. Still, the Panthers have an opportunity to help regain Young's confidence in himself if they want him to be the franchise quarterback.

The Panthers will take on the Las Vegas Raiders in a Week 3 showdown with Dalton as the starting quarterback.