Panthers rolling with Andy Dalton over Bryce Young as Week 1 starter would be major mistake

Bryce Young was selected No. 1 overall in last week's NFL Draft. While the former Alabama QB has his whole career in front of him, the question is how quickly will he take the reins as the starter.

Carolina signed veteran Andy Dalton in March, and it remains to be seen whether it's Young or Dalton who gets the call in Week 1. 

“We don’t have a timeline," Panther GM Scott Fitterer said, per Pro Football Talk. "We’re not saying, ‘Hey, this guy’s gonna start the first game or we’re not going to play him at all this year.’ When the time is right or we felt like he’s got enough of a mastery of the offense where he can go out and operate this and be successful, that’s when he’ll be out there."

Fitterer said Carolina "went out and signed Andy Dalton for a reason." He cited Dalton's experience, understanding of his role and ability to play well. 

Dalton played well in the past, but those days are long over -- and so are the days of him being an adequate bridge option as a starting QB. 

Dalton, a 12-year vet, has a starting record of just 15-27 since 2019 with a TD/INT ratio of 56/40. While Dalton can be a good mentor off the field for Young, there's nothing that indicates he can help the Panthers win this season. Dalton ranked 21st in ESPN's QBR last season with New Orleans, and if Carolina is satisfied with that output, the team is in trouble. 

There's always a danger of trotting out a rookie too soon. That likely factors in to Carolina's rationale, but the team paid a hefty price to draft Young. The Panthers traded wide receiver D.J. Moore, the No. 9 pick, a second-round pick this year, a 2024 first-round pick and a second-round pick in 2025 to Chicago for the No. 1 overall pick, which they used on Young. 

Keep Young on the bench? No way.

It's not like Young is a raw prospect. Over the past two seasons, he ranked second in the nation in passing touchdowns with 79, and per PFF, he's the highest-graded QB since 2021 (93.3).

"We say it’s open competition, but (head coach) Frank (Reich) did say, ‘Hey, Andy’s he’s our guy right now. He’ll walk into the season as the starter and then as you know, the young guys compete underneath him, then they’ll go in when they’re ready," Fitterer said.

There's every reason to believe Young is more ready right now than a lackluster Dalton. The former Heisman winner would be inserted into an offense that has weapons such as WR Adam Thielen, WR DJ Chark, TE Hayden Hurst and RB Miles Sanders. Carolina would be plenty more explosive with Young at the helm, and he has the right players around him to help him succeed and accentuate the positives of his skill set. 

Dalton once started as a rookie himself, but now his arm talent has diminished and he still makes rookie mistakes himself, throwing puzzling interceptions far too often. W

ith Dalton starting there's no hope for the Panthers to make a surprise run to the playoffs. With Young, there are a lot of unknowns, but those uncertainties have hope attached to them. Young's ceiling is high, and the sooner he gets time on task, the better.