Panthers GM Takes Strong Stance on Bryce Young’s Benching by Dave Canales, Sets Clear Goals

When Bryce Young zipped a ball into the end zone against Atlanta in Week 18, then casually turned his back on the play, signaling touchdown before it even hit Tommy Tremble’s hands, it looked like showmanship. But in Carolina’s building, it was something else entirely. That throw was the culmination of a slow, deliberate rebuild. Not of Young’s mechanics, but of his psyche. A final act in a season that could’ve buried a young quarterback but instead helped define him.

Not long ago, the idea of Young finishing the 2024 campaign as Carolina’s undisputed QB1 would’ve sounded like wishful thinking. Just two games into Dave Canales’ first season as head coach, the Panthers were a mess. They’d been outscored 53-13 across losses to the Saints and Chargers, their offense looked static, and Young, still just 5-foot-10, still playing behind a leaky offensive line, had completely unraveled. He’d thrown three interceptions, failed to find the end zone, and posted a career-low 84 yards in Week 2. The pressure was unrelenting.

Canales benched Young and named Andy Dalton the starter ahead of a Week 3 matchup against the Raiders. It was, as Canales later described, a necessary correction. “I had to watch the film,” he had said. “I gathered the information, and I made the best decision for the team.” For all the talk of belief in Young, Canales wasn’t afraid to pull the plug when the tape demanded it.

If we rewind to the 2023 drafts, the franchise signs were already there for Bryce Young. The Carolina Panthers gave up the ninth overall pick, WR D.J. Moore, and a few additional picks to the Bears, all to secure Young as the first overall pick. His college brilliance and rookie promise of 2023 (2,877 yards with 11 TDs) set the stage for 2024. So when Dave Canales turned to Andy Dalton after just two games, it raised questions on Young’s future. And now, with the 2025 season on the horizon, that story is set to hit right at the heart of the gridiron. And GM Dan Morgan remains firmly in Young’s corner.

On the Rich Eisen Show, Eisen recalled the last season and said, “Clearly, when it happened, everybody thought, well, that’s the end of the road for him in Carolina, and we could not have been clearly more wrong.” That certainly wasn’t the end for Bryce Young. He made a comeback in week 8 after Andy Dalton suffered a thumb injury off the field. Speaking about that benching, GM Dan Morgan first commended HC Dave Canales for making a tough choice. As Morgan put it, “I think coach Canales did a great job of just like, making a hard decision. It was a hard decision to, you know, bench Bryce… after the second game of the year. And for him to do that and… being a first time head coach, you know, not a lot of guys would do that in that type of situation.” 

As per Dan Morgan, it was a win-win move for everyone. Bryce got to watch the veteran Andy Dalton and improve, and that was the best thing for the franchise. As Morgan said, “it’s what was best for the organization… And Bryce, you know, he took it running, and he was out there, it gave him a chance to sit back, watch Andy Dalton out there in the huddle…”  So Bryce Young got a chance to “step back” and take a breather. But no one in the building believed that was the end for his career with the Panthers. As Morgan further added, “we knew he was going to come back at some point and we knew he was going to play good… Bryce is a competitor. He’s one of the hardest workers that I’ve ever been around. I knew that this wasn’t going to keep him down for long.”

Right after he was benched, Young admitted the decision caught him off guard. Speaking during locker room availability, he didn’t hide that the news was tough to take or that it stung. “It wasn’t what I expected,” he had said. “Obviously, it’s not easy to hear something like that.”

Still, Young made it clear he wasn’t going to sulk. He backed Coach Canales and the organization, even as he wrestled with the disappointment. “I’ve got a lot of respect for Coach Canales and for this team,” he said. “This is the situation right now, and my job is to do everything I can to support the team in whatever role I’m in.”

That “respect” shone through. And his hard work? That didn’t go unnoticed. “He’s resilient. He loves the game. He’s just passionate about everything that he does. So, to see him come back and end the season that the way he did, it was awesome to see. And it was actually really just a proud moment for myself and you know just the organization to know that we have our franchise quarterback.”

That vote of confidence from back in 2024 has not wavered one bit for the GM. It has only grown stronger over time. Bryce Young remains the franchise QB as far as the Panthers are concerned. And with their franchise QB, Morgan has also set a firm benchmark for the team heading into the 2025 season.

Dan Morgan’s goal for the 2025 season

With their first preseason game just two months away, the Panthers have been doubling down on the OTAs now more than ever. The mission? It’s the same as the other 31 franchises. As Dan Morgan sees it, “You know, we want to win the NFC south. We want to get a home playoff game. And, you know, we want to compete for championships. We want to build a consistent winner around here that the fans can be proud of.” Morgan also reflected on the losses the team has faced over the last few seasons. He firmly stated that they “got to get back to winning, and again, we got to put the work in and I know we will and it’s starting right now and in OTAs. We just finished OTAs and then on the minicamp next week and we’ll just keep building from there.” 

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And speaking of the OTAs, Bryce Young, for one, appears to have put on a bit of muscle, along with a beard. It’s a look that has instilled optimism and hope in the fans. However, it’s not just about the physique or appearance. As NFL insider Cameron Wolfe recently noted, a combo is developing in Carolina that’s a significant cause for optimism. The Combo? Bryce Young and the Panthers’ newly drafted rookie, Tetairoa McMillan. As Wolfe put it, “They have the right talent, and there’s a lot of confidence in Bryce Young out there. Coach Canales said today, ‘If we see the Bryce Young I saw today on the field, we’re in good shape.’… Now with Tet McMillan, Xavier Legette, they think they have something brewing in Carolina.” For now, it seems things are looking very upbeat in Carolina.

The fans will only have to wait till August to see Bryce Young in action again.

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