Carolina Panthers sign a quarterback after Bryce Young’s injury. Get to know him
The Carolina Panthers have added to their quarterback room.
The team announced Tuesday that it signed Mike White, who’s 30, to its practice squad. The move comes just a few days after starting quarterback Bryce Young suffered an ankle injury in the third quarter against the New York Jets — an injury severe enough for him to exit the game and not return.
Head coach Dave Canales told reporters Monday that Young’s status is officially “day to day” — with Canales adding that the team will work to get Young ready to play. It is still unclear whether Young will be healthy enough to play Sunday, when the Buffalo Bills come to Bank of America Stadium.
Even still, the Panthers opted to add to their quarterback stable. The team now has four in that group: Young, veteran quarterback Andy Dalton (who is expected to start if Young can’t), Hendon Hooker (practice squad) and now White (also practice squad).
(The Panthers also added outside linebacker Jeremiah Moon to the practice squad on Tuesday, and released cornerback Keion Crossen and offensive lineman Michael Tarquin.)
Here are three things to know about the Panthers’ newest signal-caller.
Mike White has spent time with the Panthers’ next opponent
White doesn’t have any special connections to Canales or this Panthers’ offensive coaching staff. But he does have a strong connection to the Panthers’ next opponent.
The 6-foot-4, 225-pound quarterback spent the 2024 season with the Buffalo Bills, serving as the third-string quarterback most of the season behind MVP Josh Allen and Mitch Trubisky. White only officially played in one game last season, recording only three completions on 11 attempts for 28 yards. White’s knowledge of the system could come in handy as the Panthers prepare to take on the Bills (4-2).
Mike White’s NFL career to date
White went to South Florida for two years before transferring to Western Kentucky for his last two. The Pembroke Pines, Florida, native was then drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round of the 2018 draft. He spent one year in Dallas before moving on to the New York Jets from 2019-2022. He played in eight games in those four years with the Jets.
New York is where White spent his most productive years. In 2022, he started four games — going 1-3 as a starter — and completed 103 of 175 passes for 1,192 yards and three touchdowns. He also had four interceptions that year.
White spent 2023 with the Miami Dolphins before the team released him after Skylar Thompson won the backup quarterback job. He then spent 2024 in Buffalo before finding a spot on the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad in 2025. He was released by the Bengals on Oct. 7.
He has a nickname: ‘Mike Effing White’
Though White is just in time to help the Panthers prepare for the Bills, he’s one week late to play against the team — the fan base — that gave him his enduring nickname.
“Mike Effing White.”
According to The Athletic, the Jets — who played the Panthers in Week 7 — bestowed such a moniker on White after a sterling starting debut in 2021 against the Cincinnati Bengals. His stat-line from that game: 37 for 45, 405 yards, three touchdowns. It was such a good performance that his jersey was sent to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
He started two games after his debut that season — both losses — before ultimately being replaced again by Zach Wilson. But the nickname in Jets lore lives on.
This story was originally published October 21, 2025 at 4:07 PM.
