The Panthers opened the week with no plans of making a change at quarterback, but this Sunday is now set to feature the return of 2023 first overall pick Bryce Young.
Andy Dalton sprained his thumb in a Tuesday car accident and head coach Dave Canales announced that Young is in line to start against the Broncos during a Wednesday press conference. Young has made two brief relief appearances since being benched after Week Two and there didn’t seem to be much appetite for giving him another whirl, but they have little choice now.
On Wednesday, Canales said that Young has been “an absolute stud through this whole process” and that the second-year player has remained “engaged” while waiting for another opportunity. Young said that he continued preparing like a starter, so that this week’s developments won’t cause him to change anything about how he approaches the job.
“My job is always, no matter what, it would be the same level of preparation,” Young said, via the team’s website. “You always have to prepare like you’re going to play no matter where it is. So, it doesn’t change my approach or anything. For me, I never was out of it. That’s just out of respect for the game and respect for the team, and knowing just how the league is. There’s never a, take a step back or phone it in for a week. I have too much love for a game to do that.”
A road game against the Broncos’ third-ranked defense isn’t the easiest way to jump back into the lineup, but it’s the chance that Young has and we’ll see if he makes the most of it this weekend.
