When could struggling Panthers go back to Bryce Young with Andy Dalton cooling off?
The Carolina Panthers are on another losing skid.
Naturally, fans are curious about what’s next for the football team, especially at the quarterback position. So, the Panthers mailbag is back to offer perspective and answers on some of the Carolina faithful’s concerns.
Here are some questions from social media:
Dalton’s time dwindling?
Andrew asks: How soon do they go back to Bryce Young, or is this Andy Dalton’s team now?
Mike Kaye: Well, for one, we know Young won’t be back in the starting lineup this week against the Washington Commanders. Panthers head coach Dave Canales gave Dalton the green light for Landover, Maryland, immediately after the loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
But the Panthers have lost three consecutive games with Dalton under center, and it’s fair to wonder what Carolina is getting out of starting a 36-year-old QB for a “development-minded” coaching staff in a largely lost (non-playoff) season.
So, let’s look at some numbers through six games in relation to the QB position.
* Stats are based on Young’s two starts and Dalton’s four starts
Passing yards per game: Young (122.5) vs. Dalton (224.0)
Sacks/interceptions per game: Young (3/1.5) vs. Dalton (2.5/1)
Touchdowns per game: Young (0) vs. Dalton (1.75)
Time of possession per game: Young (23:32) vs. Dalton (30:59)
Completion percentage per game: Young (55.3%) vs. Dalton (66.4%)
Diontae Jackson’s production (per game average): Young (2.5 catches for 17 yards) vs. Dalton (6 catches for 76.5 yards and 0.75 touchdowns)
Xavier Legette’s production (per game average): Young (2 catches for 17.5 yards) vs. Dalton (3 catches for 34.75 yards and 0.5 touchdowns)
Ja’Tavion Sanders’ production (per game average): Young (1.5 catches for 6 yards) vs. Dalton (2.5 catches for 19.5 yards)
Chuba Hubbard’s production (per game average): Young (8 carries for 39 yards; 2 catches for 6 yards) vs. Dalton (17.5 carries for 101.75 yards and 0.5 touchdowns; 4.5 catches for 20.25 yards and 0.25 touchdowns)
Jonathan Mingo’s production (per game average): Young (1.5 catches for 20.5 yards) vs. Dalton (2.25 catches for 20 yards)
As you can see, the production is heavily in favor of Dalton, no matter the end result.
As previously stated in this mailbag, benching Young for Dalton initially seemed like a knee-jerk reaction with very few long-term benefits. But if you consider that Dalton’s competency allows the Panthers to evaluate the entire offense then the development edge is somewhat there.
The Panthers have invested a first-round pick in Legette, they’re trying to figure out if Johnson is worth a big contract extension, Hubbard is in a contract year, and Sanders is a potential long-term piece. There are big-picture outlooks to consider with the situation that extend beyond the QB depth chart.
Young was objectively terrible in his two starts earlier this season after getting an entire offseason to lead the offense.
The question the Panthers need to weigh is: Can Young be redeemable within the framework of the season? Given his pedigree and the belief in him prior to Week 2, there should still be some sort of road for reclamation.
But Carolina would be smart to evaluate the situation on a weekly basis. Dalton’s status shouldn’t be unshakable with a 1-3 record as a starter, but the Panthers also need to consider other variables before making a change.
Ultimately, this feels like an open-ended situation.
Young’s evaluation window
Tony asks: At what point is it feasible to put Bryce Young back in and evaluate? I understand they have to evaluate other talent but they need to see where Bryce is at as well.
Tony and Andrew have somewhat differing questions. So, let’s take a different approach with this one.
Right now, the Panthers have a somewhat competitive — on paper — outlook before the bye week in mid-November.
Jayden Daniels has done an excellent job with Washington, but the Commanders don’t look like an unbeatable force. The Denver Broncos are middling in Year 2 of the Sean Payton reign and have gotten an uneven return on rookie QB Bo Nix so far. The Saints have been somewhat figured out in the weeks since they destroyed Carolina in Week 1. And well, the New York Giants are averaging just 16 points per game.
If the Panthers are trying to get some wins on the board, the time is now. If the stretch before the bye week leads to a couple of wins, especially in Germany, that’d probably be viewed as a success internally. That slate would also take the team past the Nov. 5 trade deadline.
If the Panthers don’t move Young at the deadline, they could turn to him down the stretch. That opportunity would give him seven games to prove himself to Carolina and/or other squads for the upcoming offseason. That really feels like the sweet spot if you’re going to make a switch back to Young.
At that point, wins don’t really have meaning beyond pride. Development will be the focus, especially if Canales is assured that he will be sticking around long term.
Panthers’ NFL trade deadline plans
Aries asks: What are the chances Carolina makes a trade by the trade deadline? Additionally, would you see Carolina trading for a player or trading away a player?
Let’s answer the first question to start this one: They’ll almost certainly be sellers if they are involved in the trade market.
Their cap space is at $1.48 million, per Over The Cap, and they just restructured pass rusher D.J. Wonnum’s contract to open up space out of necessity due to their laundry list of injuries.
The Panthers honestly don’t have a lot of tradeable assets from where this beat writer sits.
The list would probably include the following:
▪ OLB Jadeveon Clowney: While pass rushers are at a premium, Clowney is dealing with a shoulder injury, and he hasn’t been particularly prolific when on the field. A playoff-contending team could potentially have an injury in the next few weeks which opens up a gateway for a move. Still, it’s hard to expect him to command more than a mid-Day 3 pick.
▪ S Xavier Woods: The veteran safety is in a contract year and has played relatively well during his three-year stint in Carolina. While it’s hard to gauge the value of a safety in a walk year, Woods could be an upgrade for a team looking for veteran experience in the secondary ahead of the playoffs.
▪ WR Diontae Johnson: Like Woods, Johnson is in the final year of his contract. While the Panthers probably want to give Legette, Mingo and Jalen Coker more reps, they also can’t leave the cupboard empty in the big-play department. If the front office feels like it can’t retain Johnson, shopping him would make sense. Then again, he’s about to become a free agent, so it’s hard to imagine a worthwhile return, especially after the Panthers just acquired him for very little in March. They’d need a playoff team to be desperate to land a fourth-round pick or better.
▪ WR Jonathan Mingo: Through 21 games, it’s hard to figure Mingo out. He had a terrific summer, but so did Young. He was also going up against a Panthers defense that has proven to be less efficient than a butter knife cutting steak. Mingo was a second-round pick just a year ago, but it’s safe to argue he probably should have gone a couple of rounds later. If the Panthers get an offer for a sixth-round pick, do they pounce? Coker is already starting to move in on his snap count.
▪ WR Adam Thielen: The veteran wideout is currently on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. He’s ineligible to practice until after the Commanders bout on Sunday. But if he can return to form quickly, he would be set up to improve his value to a contending team looking for an experienced slot presence. Thielen has been very productive during his time with the Panthers, and if Carolina decides to go into complete development mode with their youngsters, Thielen could make sense as a trade piece. Though, the Las Vegas Raiders had to settle for a conditional third-round pick for Davante Adams, so it’s hard to imagine the Panthers getting any sort of worthwhile return for Thielen.
▪ RB Chuba Hubbard: This one was brought up on Monday at Canales’ press conference. Frankly, this is really hard to see happening. One, Hubbard is in a contract year and — while he’s having a massive breakout run — he’s not particularly proven as anything beyond being a huge piece of a rotation. It’s hard to see a team coughing up even a high Day 3 pick for him, even if it was depleted with injuries. Consider that Jay Ajayi was moved for a fourth-round pick after a Pro Bowl season in 2017. The running back position has only been devalued since. Don’t let the Christian McCaffrey trade cloud the idea of the market, as he’s a unicorn in the NFL.
Plus, Hubbard is the one thing — outside of the offensive line — that the team can hang its hat (or helmet?) on with the offense.
▪ RB Miles Sanders: With Jonathon Brooks set to come off the non-football injury list in the near future, Sanders’ spot becomes a tad more expendable. The Panthers have largely been a two-back rotation over the past six weeks, so there’s reason to believe Sanders could be somewhat displaced in the lineup when Brooks hits the ground running. The Panthers have used 21 personnel packages to get Sanders involved, but it’s unclear what that package would look like with the rookie in the mix. If the Panthers could get a solid Day 3 pick for him, it’d be beneficial to recoup some value. It would help with the cap situation, too.
The Panthers could use salary cap relief, but they probably won’t just give away players. The roster is depleted by injuries, and Canales and GM Dan Morgan are trying to establish a long-term culture. Telling the locker room that they’re packing it in during Year 1 is probably not the best look with several veterans still on the roster.
Of the group above, Clowney, Mingo and Sanders feel like the most logical players to move, if possible.
This story was originally published October 16, 2024 at 6:30 AM.
