Panthers double-down, Bryce Young is the starter for the foreseeable future
As if everyone didn't already know. The Carolina Panthers officially doubled down on Bryce Young being the starter for the foreseeable future, a move that was first hinted at in early June during OTAs and minicamps. On Wednesday, Panthers head coach Frank Reich assured that the team isn't going to turn toward veteran Andy Dalton to start […]
As if everyone didn't already know.
The Carolina Panthers officially doubled down on Bryce Young being the starter for the foreseeable future, a move that was first hinted at in early June during OTAs and minicamps.
On Wednesday, Panthers head coach Frank Reich assured that the team isn't going to turn toward veteran Andy Dalton to start football games anytime soon.
"Yes, he's QB 1," Reich said of Young.
This wasn't a change of tune, as in early June, Reich moved Young ahead of Dalton on the depth chart — essentially handing him the keys to the offense weeks before the first official practice of the season.
Many of the players that spoke to the media on Tuesday when first reporting to training camp were also operating under the assumption that the team will be led by Young and not Dalton.
“He’s not in your face, he’s not screaming,” Hayden Hurst said. “He is just in there watching film every day. You don’t want to let guys like that down because you know they’re going to come to practice every single day and be on top of their stuff. So you better be on top of yours as well.”
Even the team owner, David Tepper, was in on the Panthers quarterback hype, placing weighting expectations on what he sees Young being for the franchise down the line.
“There is no sure thing here, but it’s a probability sort of (thing) — and we thought he has the best probability of winning Super Bowls,” Tepper said.
When the move was initially made to place Young in the QB 1 slot in June, it was, as Reich described it "giving him an opportunity to get better."
Since then, Young has continued to impress, and by the second day of training camp, Young's talent officially relegated Dalton to the bench.
And ultimately, the assumption that the Alabama standout would be the starter heading into the training camp and preseason was verified.
Everyone knew the Panthers weren't going to walk into a season full of optimism with Dalton as the starter. And throughout the summer, Reich and others within the Panthers organization continuously hinted that the rookie would be the guy come Week 1.
Well, as if everyone forgot, the news is back out there. The Panthers are Young's team to lose.
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Feature image via ALEX HICKS JR./STAFF / USA TODAY NETWORK.
