After benching QB Bryce Young, where do Panthers go from here?

When Carolina hired Dave Canales to take over a 2-15 team that was the worst in the NFL last year, the easy reaction was, "Well, there's nowhere to go but up there."

Nope.

The Panthers have managed to regress in the first two games of 2024, and nowhere more so than at quarterback, where former No. 1 pick Bryce Young has gotten worse in all aspects. Carolina trailed the Saints 30-0 at halftime in the opener, then lost 26-3 to the Chargers in Week 2.

As a result, Canales decided to bench Young and have veteran Andy Dalton step in as starter. The decision came as a surprise to many, especially considering that Canales gave Young a vote of confidence after Sunday's loss.

"This is the best decision for our group, for our team, going forward," Canales said Monday morning in announcing the change.

Young, for all his rookie struggles, was perhaps the biggest remaining hope the Panthers had for a rebound and eventual success. When you make an investment as big as Carolina did, the most important priority is developing that young quarterback to be a future star. And now, just two games into his second season, Young has lost the starting job, a damning and humbling decision for a franchise that has gotten so much wrong in recent years.

Carolina didn't have its pick of the top candidates in the hiring cycle this spring, and the best spin for Canales being a smart match was that he had a well-earned reputation for turning quarterbacks around, having helped revive Geno Smith in Seattle and Baker Mayfield in Tampa over the past two years.

Andy Dalton was not the turnaround the Panthers had in mind to continue that trend.

Dalton turns 37 next month, and he played well in a single spot start last year when Young was injured, throwing for