Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young and those in his camp were “very shocked” at the franchise’s decision to bench him Monday, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz.

One source informed Schultz that the news “came out of nowhere.” Carolina will move forward with veteran Andy Dalton under center for the Week 3 road contest against the Las Vegas Raiders.

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First-year head coach Dave Canales, brought in to get the best out of Young following his success working with Geno Smith in Seattle and Baker Mayfield in Tampa Bay, made the decision to go with Dalton believing the 36-year-old gives the Panthers the best chance to win football games — something Carolina has struggled to do over the last few years.

“A lot of factors that go into it for this decision. And, ultimately, just kind of landed on my shoulder to be able to make the best decision for our group to give us our best chance to win this week,” Canales said. “And we focus on the weeks, we focus on the challenge at hand. We feel like Andy gives us our best chance to meet the challenge.

“This was my decision. This is our football team. This is trying to win on a weekly basis. And while it’s my decision, I gather information from the people that are critical to making these kinds of decisions. But this is something I felt like gives us our chance to take a step forward in our play style. And to be able to compete this week against a really good Raiders team.”

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Dave Canales reveals role David Tepper played in benching Bryce Young

Young, the 2023 No. 1 overall pick, has continued to struggle under Carolina’s new regime. In the Panthers’ two losses to open the 2024 campaign, he completed 31-of-56 passes for 245 yards with zero touchdowns and three interceptions.

Dating back to Week 17 last season, the Panthers have thrown for zero touchdowns and less than 150 yards in four consecutive games. The 2009 Oakland Raiders were the last team to do that, per David Newton of ESPN. Young is 2-16 as the Panthers’ starting quarterback. Dalton started one game for Carolina last season, throwing for 361 yards and two touchdowns.

Canales declined to say if team owner David Tepper played a role in the decision to bench Young.

“I want to keep that private,” Canales said. “What I would like to say though is 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, and ultimately, this comes on me. And my number one responsibility is to help the Panthers win. And so, this move, I believe, puts us in the best chance to do that this week.”

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