The Carolina Panthers HC Dave Canales likes the “focus” and “intensity” that Andy Dalton brings to the table. Per him, the Panthers are doing slightly better with Bryce Young in the backseat. In a recent presser, Dave Canales gave off the vibes that he and the Panthers are done with Young and he’s waiting for the right opportunity to trade him.

Canales mentioned in the presser how Young is soaking his benching in and how he’s responding well to the “developmentally minded program.” Well, Mike Florio thinks that this is all a façade, and all Canales is trying to do is make Bryce Young market-ready so teams would be interested in trading for him.

“Benching him is the sign to everyone that you have no faith in him and it’s almost as if they are trying to create a trade market for him and Canales was asked about the possible trade of Bryce Young, he said, ‘that’s not something we’re considering, we have a great situation with our quarterbacks right now with guys that have experience,” said Mike Florio.

“I think if someone would make them an offer and they could save face and move on, they would. And you maximize return by acting like you don’t want to trade the guy,” Florio added on NFL on NBC. When Canales was asked whether the team still sees Bryce Young as their franchise quarterback, he seemed “absolutely” sure of it.

Firstly, this is Canales’ first year with the Panthers, and the decision to bench Young might have been his idea. Per reports, he had a chat with Panthers’ “two top executives” and took the matter to owner David Tepper later, who agreed to the decision. This came after the Panthers took a good hard look at themselves after the 0-2 start.

Tension is building up in the Panthers organization and sooner or later, the players on the team would have started questioning the franchise if they didn’t do anything about Young sooner.

Has Dave Canales, the Carolina Panthers locker room, seen enough of Bryce Young?

Adam Thielen was visibly upset in the game against the Chargers when he was wide open and Young missed him. Who knows what would have happened if the team didn’t decide to give Andy Dalton a chance? However, after the game, Thielen came out said that this is not the issue with Bryce Young, rather, it’s the problem with the offense.

“I love Bryce to death, man. He works his butt off. He’s a great player. This is not a Bryce Young issue. This is an offensive team issue. We are all in this together. I know what football is, that’s why I love this game with everything I have, because it is the greatest team game. It’s not about an individual,” Thielen said.

But the narrative that the onus is on Bryce Young to help the Panthers win is a bit flawed. Firstly, the Panthers gave away a lot of key players to draft Bryce Young. So, when he got to the team, he wasn’t surrounded with proper talent. It just screams a lack of preparedness, and many would think that the Panthers destroyed a first overall pick’s career.

Young should have been playing behind a veteran in his rookie year. Rather, he was hurled into the trenches. He didn’t have time to develop. He worked with 3 head coaches in a span of a season and that’s not really an ideal situation for progress. The Panthers are just as responsible for their downfall as Bryce Young.

What do you think? While you’re mulling on the answer, do check out our latest Think Tank exclusive interview with Doug Sanders. It’s packed with insights on the current NFL season, college football, NIL, and much more.