“It’s not something that I was necessarily expecting,” Young, speaking Wednesday at his locker in the Panthers’ facility, said of his demotion. “It’s obviously not something that was great to hear, but I respect Coach Canales, I respect the organization.”
Asked if he felt he still had a future in Carolina, Young offered an indirect response.
Canales indicated Wednesday that the organization has no plans to trade Young, telling reporters it was “not something we are really considering.”
“We have a great situation with our quarterbacks right now with guys that have experience,” he added then. “We love where we are at, and it’s all hands on deck.”
Canales is in his first season with the Panthers, after their 2-15 campaign last season included the firing of former coach Frank Reich. The hiring of Canales, who earned praise for his previous work reviving the quarterbacking careers of Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield, was among several moves Carolina made in the offseason to bolster Young’s supporting cast. The team also added wide receiver Diontae Johnson via trade, drafted wide receiver Xavier Legette in the first round and signed several offensive linemen.
Despite the additions, plus the retention of veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen, the Panthers rank last through two games in major categories such as yards per game (176.0) and total points (13). There is blame to go around, but Young said Wednesday that overall offensive struggles dating back to the start of his rookie season fell on his shoulders.
“There’s a lot of plays that, for last year and these first two games, for the most part, every snap hit my hands and I didn’t do enough with it at the end of the day,” he said. “I take accountability for that. There’s plays, there’s stuff, 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 on and be better at.”
Dalton is in his second year with the Panthers, the fifth team for which he has played over a 14-year career. When Young missed a Week 3 game last season with an ankle injury, Dalton completed 34 of 58 passes for 361 yards — a team high for the 2023 season — plus two touchdowns, no interceptions and an 88.4 passer rating.
The 36-year-old Dalton said Wednesday that Young’s handling of a “tough situation on everybody” had been “awesome.”
“I have a different perspective,” he told reporters, “because I have felt it on both sides. … It’s hard, it’s tough, but you find the little things that you can focus on to get better and you continue to do what you can do.”
Young is running Carolina’s scout team this week ahead of Sunday’s game against the Raiders and their quarterback, Gardner Minshew II.
“When you have a guy that can move around and make plays on the move,” Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero said of Young at a news conference Thursday, “and sit in the pocket and make throws — he did a lot of good things in practice against us, and certainly he’s making us better.”
“Not the easiest situation, but I’m super blessed,” Young said . “I woke up this morning — not everyone did that. There’s a long list of things God has blessed me with, so I’m trying to just have perspective.”
