Carolina Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton took the first-team reps Thursday for the second day in a row with rookie No. 1 pick Bryce Young hobbled by a sprained ankle.
Young had his ankle checked out after the Monday night home loss to the New Orleans Saints and missed the Wednesday walkthrough before being held out of the team’s first full practice of the week Thursday.
“We have some general principles that we operated by, not absolutes, that we say, ‘Hey, how many days of practices are needed for a younger player to play?'” head coach Frank Reich said. “If he’s a younger player, maybe you want him to practice a little bit more.”
Young, 22, is 0-2 to begin his career. The No. 1 overall pick has completed 59.2 percent of his passes for 299 yards and two touchdowns against two interceptions so far.
The Panthers twice took out Young in short-yardage situations against the Saints, bringing in Dalton, a move Reich later said was done to “limit the exposure” of their franchise QB.
Dalton said Thursday he’s preparing as he always has — to be ready to play — and hasn’t been informed if he’s starting this week.
“We’ll see how it goes as the week goes on. With Bryce down right now, I’m getting the reps and preparing like I do every week,” Dalton said.
Carolina offensive coordinator Thomas Brown said Young was hurt early in the loss to New Orleans but played through it. He said Young is genuine and will be honest with the franchise about his health when it comes time to make a call about Week 3 at Seattle (1-1).
“It’s a great environment,” Dalton said of the Panthers playing in Seattle. “You talk about NFL environment and crowd noise, it’s one of those places that first hits your brain.”
The Panthers also listed edge rusher Brian Burns (ankle), linebacker Justin Houston (calf), running back Miles Sanders (pec) and linebacker Chandler Wooten (knee) as limited for Wednesday’s walkthrough.
Jake Luton was signed to the practice squad to give Carolina multiple healthy quarterbacks in practice.
–Field Level Media