Panthers' Young confident despite benching: 'Not what you dream of'
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young is remaining confident despite the club announcing he'll be benched in Week 3.
"I'm a day-by-day type of person. I've talked about that consistently," Young told reporters Thursday, including ESPN's David Newton. "Big-picture stuff, that's out of my hands. That's in God's hands. (As far as) organizational stuff, that's with the people upstairs. I'm super grateful to be part of the team, be part of the organization. I want to help the team in whatever way I can, and that's my focus."
"(As a) competitor, obviously, not what you dream of, what you think is gonna happen," Young added, according to The Athletic's Joe Person.
Young started 18 games as a rookie after being drafted first overall in 2023. The 23-year-old went 2-16 as a starter, passing for 2,877 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions while completing 57.8% of his attempts.
Carolina opted to bench the Alabama product two games into his second season after he completed 18 of 26 attempts for 84 yards, no TDs, and one pick. His only score through the first two weeks came on a 3-yard run. Young is taking responsibility for his early struggles but won't let his confidence waver.
"For the last year and these first two games, every snap hit my hands and I didn't do enough with it. I take accountability for that. There's a long list of things that I wish I was better at, and I'm going to continue to work to grow and improve," Young said, according to The Associated Press' Steve Reed.
"At the end of the day, I'm a competitor. Whenever there's a football and a field out there, I have the utmost confidence in myself," he added, per Newton.
Canales explained that the decision to demote Young to backup was supported by the front office but was ultimately his choice.
"I watched the film, I had a thought in mind, we all talked, and I had to make the best decision for the team," Canales said earlier this week.
Canales believes Young can still be a franchise quarterback, and he dismissed speculation that the Panthers could possibly trade the signal-caller.
Veterans such as Miles Sanders and Adam Thielen both spoke highly of Young and expect him to bounce back.
"This is his home, and he's gonna get another shot," Sanders said, according to Newton.
The Panthers will turn to Andy Dalton under center as they attempt to earn their first win of the season on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders.