Panthers' Andy Dalton: Passed over for starting gig

Dalton is expected to open the season as Carolina's No. 2 quarterback after head coach Frank Reich announced Wednesday that he views Bryce Young as the team's starter, David Newton of ESPN.com reports. "Yes, he's QB1," Reich said of Young.

Even though Young was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft in April, Dalton still opened summer workouts atop the depth chart, but it didn't take long for the rookie to pass him up. Young ended up working with the first-team offense during minicamp in June, and the Panthers evidently saw enough from the Alabama product in those sessions to convince the coaching staff that he wouldn't need to battle Dalton for the starting gig in camp. Dalton likely signed a two-year deal with Carolina in March with the understanding that he wouldn't be much more than an insurance policy at quarterback in 2023, coming off a solid if unspectacular season with the Saints in which he posted an 18:9 TD:INT and 7.6 YPA. He'll still profile as one of the more accomplished backup signal-callers in the league and should be able to keep the Carolina offense afloat in the event Young misses time at any point this season.