Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales is benching 2023 first overall pick Bryce Younger in favor of veteran quarterback Andy Dalton for the staff’s Week 3 matchup in opposition to the Las Vegas Raiders.
After a tough rookie season, Younger has had a brutal begin to the 2024 marketing campaign — as have the remainder of the Panthers, who’re 0-2 in Canales’ first two contests on the helm. Nonetheless, the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner’s transfer to the bench is considerably shocking, provided that he is solely 18 video games into his profession and hasn’t had a lot assist. (The staff has surrendered an NFL-high 73 factors this 12 months.)
With the Raiders on deck in Week 3, nonetheless, given Dalton’s 4-0 career mark in opposition to Oakland/Las Vegas, he’ll probably give Carolina a greater probability at getting within the win column than his teammate.
As Younger heads to the bench, some have began evaluating the Alabama product to one in every of, if not the largest bust in NFL Draft historical past in former quarterback JaMarcus Russell.
Russell was chosen first general by the then-Oakland Raiders through the 2007 draft and lasted simply three seasons within the league.