Carolina Panthers veteran quarterback Andy Dalton will start Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills whether or not Bryce Young is active, ESPN reported Friday.
Carolina listed Young as doubtful on Friday due to the sprained right ankle that prevented him from practicing all week. Panthers coach Dave Canales didn’t rule Young out of the game, but ESPN cited a team spokesman saying Dalton will start regardless of Young’s availability.
Young was injured during last Sunday’s 13-6 victory over the New York Jets and exited the game in the third quarter.
“He’s made progress every day, and we want to just keep our options open right now,” Canales said Friday. “Didn’t want to rule him out, just wanted to say, ‘OK, you woke up today, it was better than you did yesterday, so tomorrow we’ll move around.’ We rested it pretty good today. We had two good days of work on that ankle, so we’ll take a look at it again tomorrow, and then we’ll make the best decision from there.”
Dalton is in his third season with Carolina and will be making his seventh career start for the team. He compiled a 1-5 record in the first six.
“Every opportunity I get to be out there, I’m going to enjoy every moment,” Dalton said earlier this week. “You never know how many you’re going to get.
“Obviously, you hate that Bryce got hurt, but I get to be in there and get to be a part of it and impact the game, so every chance you get you look forward to it.”
Dalton, who turns 38 on Wednesday, has seen action in three games this season. He’s completed 9 of 13 passes for 118 yards and one touchdown, including completing 4 of 7 attempts for 60 yards after relieving Young against the Jets.
The 15-year veteran was a Pro Bowl pick three times during his nine seasons (2011-19) with the Cincinnati Bengals before bouncing around the league. He has totaled 39,618 passing yards, 254 touchdowns and 150 interceptions in 178 games (168 starts).
Young, 24, has passed for 1,288 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions in seven games this season, his third in the NFL. He was the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 draft.
