Bryce Young Will Be Panthers' QB1 vs. Saints Amid Andy Dalton's Thumb Injury Rehab

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young will get his second straight start during Sunday's Week 9 matchup with the visiting New Orleans Saints, head coach Dave Canales told reporters on Wednesday.

Andy Dalton is "progressing" from the thumb injury he suffered during a car crash last week and is expected to serve as backup, Canales said.

Canales said he "erred on the side of caution" in not having Dalton, who was listed as a full participant in Wednesday's practice, start.

Dalton led the Panthers to a 1-4 record in five starts following Young's benching in Week 2. Young then stepped in following Dalton's injury to start in the Panthers' Week 8 loss to the Denver Broncos last Sunday.

Both Young and Dalton practiced throwing during Wednesday's practice, but it was Young who got reps with the Panthers' first unit, Canales said.

Canales told reporters that the decision was made with the goal of "taking the decision out of Andy's hands," and indicated that the Panthers would reevaluate the starting order after Week 9.

Young went 24-of-37 for 224 yards, throwing for two touchdowns while getting picked off twice in his return to the QB1 role.

When speaking to reporters after Sunday's loss, Canales said he wanted to get more information about Dalton's status before naming the Week 9 starter.

He noted that his Panthers struggled with "inconsistency" against the Broncos, perhaps especially on a third-quarter drive that involved delay of game calls against Young's offense on consecutive snaps.

"We looked like a good offense on the first drive. And then, we just go, I don't know what it was, seven or eight possessions before we get our next first down," Canales said on Sunday (h/t the Charlotte Observer's Alex Zietlow.) "Trying to find a rhythm, trying to find the run game in this against a really good defense... A lot of communication stuff that we gotta iron out in terms of me getting the play call in earlier for Bryce, Bryce handling the information, getting it to our guys so we can get lined up and assess what the defense is doing, so something we gotta do there."

Canales added about Young: "It's his first time back out there, and he was able to just keep working through some of the issues and compete to find completions out there. I thought he had some excellent drives. I thought he had some excellent throws in there."

Canales had previously indicated that he would consider giving Young another shot at the starting job prior to Dalton's injury. After the team's fourth straight loss under Dalton, he told reporters that he was "completely sensitive to the questions and they are not unfounded and unbased" about the likelihood Young would start again.

Young will now get another shot at earning back the QB1 job amid Dalton's recovery from injury. The Saints' leaky pass defense, which ranks 28th in the NFL through eight games with 2,108 passing yards allowed, could present an opportunity for Young to build on the positives of his Week 8 start.