The proverbial waves of the Andy Dalton experience were always going to be turbulent. In Sunday’s stunning loss to the Washington Commanders, those turbulent waves gave way to Titanic-like disaster.

Dalton threw two interceptions on the Panthers’ first two offensive possessions, the first of which was a baffling decision on a botched script that he may have handed to Dante Fowler Jr. as if he were Chuba Hubbard. The Commanders’ linebacker blocked Dalton’s missed throw for a six-pointer, and Washington was up 7-0 before Jayden Daniels and his electrifying offense even took the field. Things never got better. Dalton’s final tally of 11 completions on 19 attempts for 93 yards and two interceptions is the worst of his short tenure with the Panthers and may be the last he ever records with the franchise.

It’s time for Bryce Young to reclaim the starting job.

Honestly, it’s the same reasoning that got Dalton the job in the first place. It can’t be worse, can it? The Carolina Panthers dominated in all three phases of Sunday’s loss, so it would be silly to place the blame on Dalton, but the veteran quarterback did his part to compound poor play from the entire team. A few weeks ago, this room was making the case that Young should be benched to evaluate the Panthers’ relief corps surrounding the quarterback, and they’ve had plenty of time to do so.

The Dionte Johnson trade was a complete success. The revamped offensive line (even with injuries to two starters) is rock solid. Rookies Xavier Legette, Jalen Coker and Ja’Tavion Sanders can play. Evaluation is a 24/7, 365-day task for NFL franchises, but five games with competent quarterback Andy Dalton proved that Carolina’s offensive support cast is up to scratch worst above average.

It’s time to find out if Bryce Young can recapture some of the magic that got him drafted No. 1 overall in 2023.

What if Young comes out and plays poorly? Well, yes. This is already (another) lost season for the Panthers, and poor quarterback play has become par for the course for the Queen City football franchise.

Will Young come out and play well? Things will get a lot easier for Dan Morgan and Dave Canales in 2025. They’re bringing the gang back together on offense and spending every bit of their resources improving the league’s worst defense.

The evaluation era for the Carolina Panthers looks set to continue as losses mount (again) and it’s time to re-evaluate Bryce Young.

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