The Panthers announced their plans to start Bryce Young at quarterback early this week, but they held out some hope that Andy Dalton might be available as their backup.
That hope dimmed when Dalton was listed as doubtful on Friday and it was extinguished entirely when Dalton, who injured his thumb in a car accident this week, was made inactive 90 minutes ahead of Sunday’s kickoff against the Broncos.
Jack Plummer was elevated from the practice squad to back up Young.
Wide receiver Diontae Johnson and safety Jammie Robinson were ruled out on Friday. Cornerback Dane Jackson, cornerback Shemar Bartholomew, tackle Yosh Nijman, and defensive end Jonathan Harris are the other inactive players.
Safety P.J. Locke is inactive for the Broncos after being listed as doubtful with a thumb injury and tackle Alex Palczewski will not play due to an ankle injury. Quarterback Zach Wilson, cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine, tight end Greg Dulcich, linebacker Dondrea Tillman, and defensive lineman Eyioma Uwazurike are also inactive.
Six weeks after he was benched, Bryce Young is back.
The Panthers quarterback, picked first overall in 2023 after a trade that included (among other things) receiver DJ Moore and the first overall pick in 2024, will play. Young got back under center by a fluke. Andy Dalton injured his thumb in a car accident. Now, via Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, Young has an opportunity to keep the job.
While as Sunday Splash! reports go that one falls somewhere between Captain Obvious and “We Got Nothing Else This Morning,” it’s worth considering whether Young’s forced break will make a difference. Young remained engaged throughout his Sunday sabbaticals, and he has gotten some first-team reps while mainly running the scout team.
Ultimately, Young needs to show he belongs in the NFL. He’s done nothing yet that stands out. There’s no eye-popping skillset. No indication that he’s on a trajectory that could make him a franchise quarterback.
It’s sink or swim in the NFL. And Young sank like a smooth stone. He’ll try to dog paddle against a potent Denver defense. Yes, it’s an opportunity. But has anything we saw during his 2-16 run as a starter made anyone confident that he’s getting closer and closer to finding the light switch and flipping it?
Maybe he’ll simply need a fresh start. Maybe the Panthers ruined him. If that’s the case, hopefully he’ll get a clean slate as soon as 2025, with Panthers owner David Tepper resisting the urge to give Young a chance to go to a new team and make the Panthers look even worse for failing to get the best out of him.
Panthers wide receiver Diontae Johnson and Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk are available as the NFL trade deadline approaches.
Those two have both been the subject of talks ahead of the NFL’s November 5 trade deadline, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
The wide receiver market has been hot this season, with wide receivers Davante Adams (Raiders to the Jets), Amari Cooper (Browns to the Bills) and DeAndre Hopkins (Titans to the Chiefs) all getting traded.
Johnson and Kirk make sense because the Panthers and Jaguars are two of the worst teams in the league, and they’d like to move on from veteran players and acquire more draft picks. The 28-year-old Johnson would cost a team trading for him about $3.5 million for the rest of the season, while the 27-year-old Kirk would cost about $8 million, unless a trade also included a re-worked contract.
Johnson has 30 catches for 357 yards this season. Kirk has 25 catches for 320 yards this season.
The Panthers made a number of moves at the safety spot ahead of Sunday’s game against the Broncos.
They placed Nick Scott on injured reserve, activated Sam Franklin from the same list and signed Russ Yeast to the active roster. They passed on making another one by not activating Jordan Fuller from injured reserve.
Scott appeared in every game this season and started the last four contests. He has 28 tackles and two passes defensed.
Franklin has yet to play this year after injuring his foot over the summer while Yeast has made one appearance.
The Panthers also elevated quarterback Jack Plummer and cornerback Caleb Farley from the practice squad. Plummer will back up Bryce Young with Andy Dalton sidelined by a right thumb injury.
A preview of the Panthers-Broncos matchup as well as a look at the rest of this week’s action can be found here.
Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II was cleared from concussion protocol and has no injury designation for Sunday.
He will return to play against the Panthers after missing the Week 7 game against the Saints, which came four days after being diagnosed with a concussion.
Surtain returned to practice this week as a full participant all three days.
“I’m feeling good,” Surtain said Friday, via Susanna Weir of the team website. “Everything feels back to normal. Ready to get back out there for the guys, for sure.”
The Broncos list safety P.J. Locke (thumb) as doubtful after missing the past two days of practice. He was limited Wednesday.
Offensive tackle Alex Palczewski (ankle) is questionable after three limited practices. He did not play against the Saints last week.
Right tackle Mike McGlinchey (knee) improved to a full participant on Friday and has no injury designation.
