Bryce Young gets blindsided on and off the field.
NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported on Monday that Young and those close to him were “very shocked” at the Panthers’ decision to bench the quarterback.
“It came out of nowhere,” a source said, according to Schultz.
The decision came after Young and the Panthers looked abysmal in two losses to the Saints and Chargers, getting outscored 73-13.
Young has just 245 total passing yards in two games with no passing touchdowns and three interceptions.
His 44.1 quarterback rating is the worst among starters, as is his 10 passes completed for a first down through two weeks.
The decision, though, to turn to veteran Andy Dalton is not without an element of surprise.
Young, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, is only 18 games into his career and after Sunday’s loss to the Chargers first-year head coach Dave Canales was adamant that they were not changing quarterbacks.
Canales repeatedly said, “Bryce is our quarterback.”
A day later Canales had changed his mind.
“This is something after I watched the film, I looked at it, had a thought, started working on talking to the guys that we make decisions with. Certainly a lot of parties involved there,” Canales told reporters Monday.
“Ultimately, this comes on me, and my No. 1 responsibility is to help the Panthers win. And so this move, I believe, puts us in the best chance to do that this week.”
Young had previously won at every level as a quarterback, including his time at Alabama where he won the 2021 Heisman Trophy.
He has since fallen on hard times in Carolina, going 2-16 as a starter, the third-worst winning percentage (.111) of any quarterback in NFL history since 1950 with a minimum of 15 starts.
Carolina goes on the road to face the Raiders on Sunday with Dalton behind center as the Panthers look to turn their season around after a horrific start.