CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Bryce Young admitted Thursday that he was surprised when Carolina Panthers coach Dave Canales benched him in favor of veteran Andy Dalton for Sunday's game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
“As a competitor, it's obviously not what you dream is going to happen,” Young said in his first interview since the decision was made Monday. “It wasn't something I necessarily expected. Obviously, it wasn't something I wanted to hear.”
“It's up to me to put them in that situation.”
Young, 2-16 as a starter since the Panthers (0-2) selected him with the first pick in the 2023 draft, repeatedly took responsibility for the decision to bench him the day after Canales said Young would start against the Raiders.
He never admitted he was angry, although sources close to the situation initially said he was.
Young also avoided speculating on whether he has a future in Carolina, though Canales said Wednesday he still believed the former Alabama star could be a franchise quarterback in the NFL.
“I'm a day-to-day person,” Young said. “I've talked about that constantly. The big-picture stuff is out of my control. It's organizational stuff, for the people at the top. I'm very grateful to be a part of the team, part of our organization. I want to help in any way I can.”
A source close to Young said the quarterback is “open to anything” in regards to remaining with the Panthers through the end of his rookie contract or being traded to another team.
Canales said Wednesday that trading Young is “not something we're considering.”
Young has spent the past two days leading the scout team. Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero said the 5-foot-9, 200-pound Young has done a great job filling the role of Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew.
“When you have a guy that can move and make plays on the move, and sit in the pocket and make throws… he did a lot of good things in practice against us, and he's certainly making us better,” Evero said.
Young said his goal is to help the team in any way the staff sees fit.
Asked if he had enough time to prove himself after a rookie season when head coach Frank Reich was fired after a 1-10 start and just two games into his second season with a first-year head coach, Young said that was for others to decide.
But he ultimately took responsibility for historically poor stats, including a 9.1 total QBR this season that is among the worst in league history for consecutive games.
“I had a lot of plays last year and in the first two games,” Young said. “Overall, every play was in my hands and I didn't do enough. I take responsibility for that. There's a long list of things I wish were better and I'm going to continue to work, grow, get better and get better at them.”
“We all have our circumstances. If I was going out there and playing better and winning games… and then it ended up being on me and it didn't happen… we wouldn't be having this conversation.”
