South Charlotte Today

CHARLOTTE — Panthers head coach Dave Canales addressed questions Monday regarding the decision to bench quarterback Bryce Young in favor of Andy Dalton. Canales emphasized that the decision was made with the entire team's best interest in mind, aiming to curb an 0-2 start as they prepare for this week's game against Las Vegas.

"We want to play more football," Canales stated. "A lot of factors go into it, you know, for this decision, you know, and ultimately, it just kind of lands on my shoulders to be able to make the best decision for our group to give us our chance, our best chance to win this week. And we focus on the weeks; we focus on the challenge at hand, and we feel like Andy gives us our best chance to meet the challenge."

Canales refrained from discussing long-term implications and focused on immediate needs. Despite last year's efforts to acquire Young, he stressed the importance of current performance given how the offense has played so far.

"Ultimately, this comes on me, and my number one responsibility is to help the Panthers win," Canales said. "And so this move, I believe, puts us in the best chance to do that this week."

Both Dalton and Young were informed of the decision Monday morning, with the entire team briefed later in a meeting. The locker room mood was subdued but focused on winning games.

Tight end Tommy Tremble reflected on Sunday's loss: "You know, we together couldn't get it done, and I feel for him because it's a team effort... We've got to do our job better... That's how the NFL works. You've got to do your job. That's number one."

Canales acknowledged that making such a significant decision early in his tenure was challenging but necessary after consultations with coaches Dan Morgan and Brandt Tilis.

"This is my decision," he affirmed. "This is our football team; this is trying to win on a weekly basis... But this is something that I felt like gives us our chance to take a step forward in our play-style and compete this week against a really good Raiders team."

In other news from Sunday's game against the Chargers:

A special teams call drew attention when Johnny Hekker's punt appeared muffed by Derius Davis before officials flagged Lonnie Johnson for kick-catch interference. Nick Scott explained that officials cited Johnson impeding Davis' ability despite no physical contact—an interpretation Scott contested.

The defensive line faced challenges following injuries. Defensive end A'Shawn Robinson assured he was fine after limping off Sunday while nose tackle Shy Tuttle's foot injury remains under evaluation.

Reflecting on their performance without Derrick Brown and conceding over 200 rushing yards (219 total), Robinson emphasized improvement: "I don't think we held the standard of our brother... We just got to play with proper technique and execute our game plan."

Nick Thurman stressed internal cohesion over external matchups: "We have to be better... We have to believe in each other... That attitude still reigns in this locker room."