Quarterback Bryce Young returns to Carolina Panthers’ starting lineup

After five games out of the lineup, quarterback Bryce Young will be back at quarterback for Carolina when the Panthers play the Denver Broncos on Oct. 27. But it wasn’t the NFL team’s four-game losing streak that caused Carolina to put the former Alabama All-American back in the lineup.

Instead, Andy Dalton sustained a sprained thumb on his throwing hand during a traffic accident on Tuesday, and Panthers coach Dave Canales announced on Wednesday that Young would lead Carolina’s offense on Sunday.

“Bryce will be playing this week for us,” Canales said, “and we’ll be evaluating Andy day-to-day going into this weekend to see if we can get him up as the two on game day.”

Young joined the Panthers as the No. 1 selection in the 2023 NFL Draft. He started 16 games as a rookie and opened the 2024 season in the same position. But two games in, Carolina benched Young to play Dalton.

Young said his first concern when learning about Dalton’s accident was the 14-year veteran’s well-being, not the opportunity get his job back.

“Me and Andy are super, super close,” Young said. “So I was just worried for him at the time. I’m glad him and his family are OK, obviously, like big-picture-wise, but, yeah, that was really the first thing that was on my mind.”

Canales said Carolina’s starting quarterback would be a “week-to-week” decision as the team evaluates Dalton’s injury.

Young said he didn’t view Sunday’s start as an opportunity to re-establish himself as the Panthers’ No. 1 quarterback.

“For me, it’s just day-by-day,” Young said. “Again, I’m not really a huge big picture, send a message, big thing. Again, I want to do everything I can to be the best I can today during meetings and practice and then, obviously, do everything I can to help the team on Sunday. Whatever comes from that and how things are perceived in the building, throughout the world, that’s always stuff, no matter what it is, stuff I can’t control. So again, I just want to do all I can to help the team, and that’s really where my focus is.”

The 2021 Heisman Trophy winner with the Crimson Tide, Young called his benching “a new situation.”

“It definitely was challenging, being in a place I hadn’t been before,” Young said. “But just leaning on my faith, leaning on the people in this locker room, leaning on family. Again, I’m still super grateful for where I’m at today, where I was at last week, where I’ve been at throughout everything. Obviously, there’s stuff that’s out of my control and stuff that will go well in life and stuff that won’t. But, again, I’m blessed. There’s a lot of things in my life that I’m super, super grateful for. Through good and bad, I want to do all I can to focus on that outside of football.”

Canales said Young had been “an absolute stud” after being demoted.

“He’s been engaged the whole time,” Canales said. “We’ve had great football conversations during the week, fine-tuning our game plans on Sunday on the sideline, talking through things, so he’s been engaged in a part of that whole thing. And so, for me, it’s great for him that he approached it with such class and integrity, this hard situation, and now he gets to get back out there and play football.”

Young said switching from backup back to starter would not be difficult.

“My job is always, no matter what, it’d be the same level of preparation,” Young said. “That’s just part of the business. You always have to prepare like you’re going to play no matter where it is, so it didn’t change my approach or anything.”