Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young will miss his second straight practice on Thursday because of an ankle injury, a team spokesman said. Here’s what you need to know:
- Veteran Andy Dalton would be the Panthers’ likely starter against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday if Young is unable to play.
- Young, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, struggled in his first two starts with Carolina. He has completed 59.2 percent of his passes for two touchdowns and two interceptions and has a passer rating of 66.6.
- Dalton, 35, signed with the Panthers in free agency in the 2023 offseason after playing in 14 games for the New Orleans Saints last season.
- Asked if he wouldn’t mind starting a rookie quarterback who hadn’t taken any reps all week, Panthers offensive coordinator Thomas Brown replied, “Yeah — that rookie.”
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Backstory
Young was injured sometime in the first half of Monday’s game against the Saints and played through it, Brown said. The coaches only found out about the injury after the game.
Brown said he never questioned Young’s toughness – mentally or physically.
Dalton originally went to the Saints as a replacement for Jameis Winston. But in the end, Dalton was the primary starter, replacing the injured and ineffective Winston. Dalton threw for 2,871 yards with 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 2022.
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
What are the chances of Young playing this week?
Panthers coach Frank Reich said this week that he would have more concerns starting a rookie quarterback who hasn’t taken practice reps yet than a 10-year veteran in the same situation. And while Brown said he would trust Young in that scenario, the decision ultimately rests with Reich — assuming Young is acquitted at all. Considering it’s only a short week from Monday night’s loss to New Orleans, it certainly feels like things are trending toward Dalton starting in Seattle.
“That’s Bryce’s business,” Dalton said. “I’m not here to make it a competition, I’m here to make something of it. I’m here to help the team.” — Person
Could this end up benefiting Young and the Panthers?
Seattle is arguably the toughest place to play in the NFL. One could argue that veteran Dalton gives the Panthers the best chance to win this week. If Young doesn’t play, he’ll have a week after two losses to begin his NFL career (after losing a total of just four games in two seasons as a starter at Alabama).
Even though Young didn’t look great in the early going, his options were limited in a receiving corps that suffered next to no separation. But the fact that he has to sit out in just his third game will once again raise pre-draft questions about the durability of the 5-foot-10, 220-pound quarterback. — person
How Young is doing
Here’s a look at Young’s performance in terms of expected points added per dropback, via TruMedia and passer rating, through the first two weeks:
| player | EPA/DB OVR | EPA/DB week 2 | Psr rtg OVR | psr rtg wk2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
-0.14 (25) | -0.19 (27) | 70.7 (26) | 61.1 (31) | |
-0.17 (26) | 0.08 (19) | 69.9 (28) | 123.3 (3) | |
-0.24 (27) | -0.33 (30) | 53.3 (32) | 38.1 (32) | |
-0.25 (28) | -0.26 (28) | 66.6 (31) | 87.1 (21) | |
-0.26 (29) | 0.04 (21) | 70.6 (27) | 85.6 (22) | |
-0.29 (30) | -0.29 (29) | 84.1 (21) | 68.8 (28) | |
-0.34 (31) | -0.38 (31) | 69.1 (30) | 70.3 (26) | |
-0.41 (32) | -0.46 (32) | 69.7 (29) | 71.8 (25) |
The NFL appears to be a little too big for Young in two weeks. Outside of Carolina’s final possession, the Saints defense stunned Young in Week 2. Young completed 8 of 10 passes on the final drive with a TD pass to Adam Thielen to increase his passer rating and completion percentage in Week 2 (66.7). But Young has experienced the greatest growing pains so far among the three best QBs in the 2023 NFL Draft. – Owner
Required reading
(Photo: Grant Halverson/Getty Images)