There’s been a presumption that Panthers quarterback Bryce Young will start right away. That presumption might not become the reality.
Earlier this week, Panthers G.M. Scott Fitterer explained the process for deciding when to put Young on the field.
“We’re going to rely on our coaches -- Jim Caldwell, Frank Reich, Thomas Brown -- to decide when it’s right,” Fitterer said. “We don’t have a timeline. We’re not saying, ‘Hey, this guy’s gonna start the first game or we’re not going to play him at all this year.’ When the time is right or we felt like he’s got enough of a mastery of the offense where he can go out and operate this and be successful, that’s when he’ll be out there.
“We went out and signed Andy Dalton for a reason. He played as a rookie. He’s got a lot of experience. He understands his role and he can play good football. If Andy’s the guy to start the season, and he’s the starter right now heading into the season, then he’ll be the guy. When Bryce is ready or Matt Corral is ready whoever it may be, that’ll be the time they go in. We say it’s open competition, but Frank did say, ‘Hey, Andy’s he’s our guy right now. He’ll walk into the season as the starter and then as you know, the young guys compete underneath him, then they’ll go in when they’re ready.”
Dalton has been there and done that, two years ago in Chicago. He went from QB1 to QB2 once Justin Field was ready to go.
The challenge for the Panthers becomes knowing exactly when the right time has arrived to make Young the quarterback. If it happens too early, it can impact his long-term development. It can contribute to a potential boom becoming a bust.
That’s why plenty of busts aren’t simply the fault of the player. The team must know how to develop the player and when to insert the player into the lineup. For many players who don’t pan out, particularly at the quarterback position, the reality is that their career was mismanaged by the teams that picked them.