The new lows that the Carolina Panthers are reaching almost weekly are astonishing. They really are.

After another disappointing loss to the Washington Commanders, Dave Canales’ men are now 1-6 this season. They were powerless and unable to generate any impulse. Even after the home team lost rookie sensation Jayden Daniels to a rib injury in the opener, it didn’t matter.

Carolina is almost convinced that it will suffer another defeat under the leadership of David Tepper. They were years of sad football and without any direction. Injuries don’t help, but this is as bad as it gets.

Veteran quarterback Andy Dalton had another indifferent afternoon at the office. The signal caller started the day with a pick-six to edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr. and things didn’t get much better after that. With their season coming to an end, Canales must commit to starting Bryce Young for the rest of the season.

Canales decided to bench Young after his miserable two-game streak to start the season. He wanted him to take a breather and learn from the sidelines. Dalton provided a brief increase in performance, but it was short-lived. This is a terrible football team, no matter who is at center stage.

Aside from the unnecessary reps, Young’s had five plays out of the firing line. The Panthers need to bring him back in to properly assess his abilities. They don’t win with Dalton. Why not use the younger option to see if something can be salvaged?

The Panthers need to start planning for the future. Dalton is far from that. He’s barely present, so Young will have to step into the breach and Carolina will have to stick with him for better or worse in the second half of 2024.

It’s not like it can get much worse. The Panthers are rooted to rock bottom and remain the laughing stock of the league. Fans are disillusioned and less engaged than ever. Young has a glimmer of hope for the future, especially if he can regain the confidence for another critical offseason in 2025.

If Young can’t turn things around, general manager Dan Morgan can start looking at quarterback alternatives in free agency or the draft. The Panthers invested a significant amount of money in the Heisman Trophy winner when they paid a king’s ransom for the No. 1 pick in 2023, turning down the chance to sign CJ Stroud. Even if they don’t believe it, the staff can’t keep pushing a 36-year-old out when all hope is lost.

This is an organizational mistake. Something not consistent with a franchise rebuild, although Morgan was keen to say it was a pre-campaign retool when the obvious stared everyone in the face.

The consensus was that Young would be reinstated at some point. Canales won’t do it until he truly believes the signal-caller is ready. But the time for coddling a veteran who probably won’t be around next year is over.

Young might not work out. He may have gone too far in this environment to be saved. But that doesn’t mean the Panthers don’t have to try.

What’s the worst that can happen?

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