BREAKING: LeBron James sends Heartfelt message to Bryce Young after recent happenings
The Carolina Panthers have decided to start veteran quarterback Andy Dalton over Bryce Young for their upcoming game against the Las Vegas Raiders, as announced by coach Dave Canales on Monday. Young, the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner from Alabama and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, started all 16 games of his rookie season and the first two games of 2024.
Following the announcement, NBA superstar LeBron James offered words of encouragement to Young via social media: “Bryce Young, hold ya head! Rooting for you and know this ain’t on you! Continue to put the work in and it shall prevail!”
Young was benched after back-to-back tough losses: a 47-10 defeat to the New Orleans Saints on September 8 and a 26-3 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on September 15. In those two games, Young completed 31-of-56 passes for 245 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions, leading to a low passer rating of 44.1—one of the worst over the past 14 NFL seasons for a quarterback with at least 50 pass attempts. The last time a quarterback had a worse rating after two games was Ryan Fitzpatrick, who posted a 39.9 rating with the Miami Dolphins in 2019 before being benched for Josh Rosen, only to later reclaim the starting job.
Dalton, a 14-year NFL veteran, said he didn’t expect Young to be benched, acknowledging the difficulty of the situation. “I’ve been on both sides of it,” Dalton said. “It’s hard on everybody… but I’m looking forward to the opportunity.”
In Young’s rookie season, the Panthers finished with a 2-15 record. Dalton started in Young’s absence due to an ankle injury in a Week 3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, where Carolina posted a season-high 334 passing yards.
Despite the benching, Dalton expressed confidence in Young’s ability to bounce back, saying, “He’s made up the right way… I know he’s got the right character traits, and that’s going to carry him far beyond this.”
Dalton, who had a successful nine-year run as the Cincinnati Bengals’ starting quarterback, earning three Pro Bowl selections, has since played for the Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears, and New Orleans Saints before joining Carolina. Since leaving Cincinnati, Dalton has started 30 games and now steps in to help the Panthers as Young regroups.