Panthers' Bryce Young Returns to Practice After Ankle Injury, on Track for Week 4

Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback Bryce Young practiced in full Wednesday and is on track to return from an ankle injury that sidelined him for his team's 37-27 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

Young suffered the injury on Sept. 18 in a 20-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints. He missed practice all week leading up to the Seahawks game and was ruled out. Veteran backup signal-caller Andy Dalton started in Young's place.

However, it appears Young will take the QB1 reins back again Sunday when the Panthers host the Minnesota Vikings.

The Panthers traded up from the No. 9 spot to No. 1 overall with the Chicago Bears and later took Young, a former Alabama star who took home the Heisman Trophy in 2021. Through two games, Young has completed 59.2 percent of his passes for 299 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He's also rushed for 51 yards on five carries.

It's been a slow start for Young and the Panthers, who fell to 0-3 after the Seahawks loss.

However, there's still plenty of season left for a turnaround, and Young joined Carolina with a very tall task in front of him given the team's massive offseason overhaul and current rebuilding state.

Carolina hasn't posted a winning season (or playoff campaign) since 2017, and asking for immediate success isn't a guaranteed return given the Panthers' ongoing transition right now.

A matchup with the winless Vikings should be a good litmus test for Young. Minnesota has struggled defensively and especially so against the pass, allowing 7.1 net yards per attempt (sixth-most in the NFL), per Pro Football Reference. Their seven passing touchdowns allowed is also third-most in the NFL.

That doesn't mean the Panthers should ease up by any means, especially with a superstar defensive end in Danielle Hunter (NFL-leading five sacks) leading the Viking charge.

But this also doesn't appear to be a daunting matchup on paper overall for Young as he makes his return following one week off.

Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET at Charlotte's Bank of America Stadium.