Since being selected No. 1 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young has been listed on their depth chart as QB2.
While the former Alabama star had taken first-team reps during organized offseason activities (OTAs), veteran Andy Dalton was listed as the Panthers’ starter.
That will change once mandatory minicamp gets going next week in South Carolina. First-year head coach Frank Reich confirmed as much when talking to reporters on Thursday.
“It’s just the next step. We had a couple of weeks to watch Andy. Andy has continued to perform at a very high level. We’re just trying to get our team ready. Everything is about what’s best for our team, and so this was just the next step,” Reich on elevating Bryce Young to QB1 on the depth chart.
Carolina signed Dalton to a two-year contract back in March. The signing came more than a month before Young was selected No. 1 overall in the draft. Though, it also came four days after the Panthers moved up to the No. 1 pick with the Chicago Bears.
The idea was simple. Dalton was brought in to be a veteran presence behind whoever Carolina took with the top selection. It ended up being Young.
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In no way does this mean that the former Heisman winner will be taking starter reps when Carolina opens its season against the Atlanta Falcons on September 10. Reich made that perfectly clear.
“So, we’ll just keep giving him, and our team, the opportunity to get better and to earn that starting role. So far, he and a lot of guys have taken the step needed to earn that spot,” Reich told reporters.
- Bryce Young college stats: 66% completion, 8,356 passing yards, 87 total TD, 12 INT
As a two-year starter in a pro-style offense with the Crimson Tide, Young is more than capable of opening his rookie season as QB1. The hiring of an offensive-minded coach in Reich coupled with the moves Carolina made in free agency lends credence to the idea that this has long been the plan.
But for Young, it’s not about being handed the starting job over a quarterback in Dalton who boasts a wealth of NFL experience.
“For me, it’s about earning it. I’m grateful to have the opportunity that I have. I still think it’s a process. I’m grateful to be accepted by the team. It’s an amazing locker room, a great group of guys. I want to continue with that,” Bryce Young told reporters.
Young’s next opportunity to earn it will come during mandatory minicamp next week. After that, training camp and the preseason will play key roles in who the Carolina Panthers trot out there Week 1.