Frank Reich on Naming Bryce Young QB1 over Andy Dalton: 'When It's Best for' Panthers

Bryce Young will not be handed the Carolina Panthers' starting quarterback job.

Panthers head coach Frank Reich said the top overall pick will be taking snaps with the second-string offense, with veteran Andy Dalton currently slotted in with the starters.

"When he's ready, when it's best for the team, that's when we'll look to make the transition," Reich told reporters Saturday. "But when we come back out Monday, Andy will be taking reps with the ones. Bryce will be with the twos. But Bryce is gonna get a lot of reps. He'll likely even get a few more than Andy just as the new guy."

While Dalton is a capable veteran quarterback, Reich's comments feel a lot like coachspeak. Sure, Young will have to "earn" the starting job, but it's a lot easier to say these things in May rather than September.

The Panthers did not trade a 2023 second-round pick, a first-rounder in 2024, a second-rounder in 2025 and D.J. Moore in order to draft a quarterback who will sit on the bench in his first season. The realities of the NFL's rookie pay scale mean the best time for a team to compete is often when a young star quarterback is playing out his first contract. That allows teams to fortify their roster elsewhere while their quarterback has an artificially low cap number.

The clock starts ticking the moment Young sets foot on the field, and there's no logical reason for him to be sitting behind Dalton, who was a functionally average NFL starting quarterback in his prime. At age 35, Dalton tops out as a high-end backup who can provide some tutelage for Young.

Barring injury, it's highly unlikely there's a world in which Young is not under center for Week 1.