Andy Dalton Compliments Bryce Young's Growth On and Off the Field

I’ve long believed that being a backup quarterback in the NFL would be the best job in the world.

Think about it.

You’ve reached the pinnacle of the profession you’ve dreamed about for your whole life. You wake up on Sunday mornings and you put on pads and a uniform for a franchise in the National Football League. You made it. Additionally, you face minimal pressure compared to the starter.

If something happens to the incumbent quarterback and you enter the game as a backup and you win? You become a hero. Remembered forever.

If something happens to the incumbent quarterback and you enter the game as a backup and you lose? Oh well. It was always going to happen when the starter got hurt.

Backing up an NFL quarterback is a win-win-win-win scenario. You can’t beat it.

When it comes to backup quarterbacks, Andy Dalton is overqualified for the role. Dalton has played the fifth most games of any active quarterback in the entire NFL. He’s started and won playoff games. Last season, he quarterbacked arguably the best game of the season by a Panther signal-caller. All of that experience and wisdom makes him the perfect mentor for second-year quarterback Bryce Young.

Whether it’s coaching changes, copious doubters, inflated expectations, or learning new playbooks, Dalton has lived it, and he can shepherd Young through the choppy waters of quarterbacking in the NFL.

Dalton had his first media availability of the Dave Canales era on Tuesday afternoon, and he spoke at length about Young and his potential impact on and off the field in Carolina.

Carolina's QB2 was asked what Dave Canales is doing to get the most out of Bryce. His answer praised the young quarterback and shed light into the improvements 2023's number one overall pick has made under the new regime.

"I think from the beginning it's the relationship that they've built. It's instilling confidence in him and knowing that he's giving him the keys to this offense. And for Bryce, there are so many things he can do. He's crazy talented. The biggest jump you take is from year one to year two, and Bryce is going to experience that. We're going to see Bryce do things he didn't do last year just because of the experience. We're already seeing it right now."

High praise from the Panthers' elder statesman. Dalton has been around the block a time or two, and his praise for Young does not fall on deaf ears. He didn't throw anybody under the bus, but he shared with the media that Young's lack of protection stunted his progress last season.

"I think that affected everybody. At times, he wasn't able to do as many things as he probably could have done because of it. There were all different things that affected it all in the protection. It wasn't one guy...it was all of the different stuff that went on."

They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and Dalton believes that to be true for Young.

"The experience of him having last year will be great for him going into this next year."

Maybe the most telling part of Dalton's media availability came when he spoke about Young's youth football camp last weekend.

"It was cool to be at the camp to see not only the impact he was making on all of those kids, but the support he had from his team. There were a ton of guys that wanted to go and help him, and support what he's doing...that shows the type of relationships that Bryce has built that so many guys wanted to be there.

When Young was drafted last season, the draw of his leadership was equal to the draw of his football acumen. In year two, Andy Dalton believes that Young is improving in both areas. As a football player, and as a leader of men. For a Carolina team that has passed around quarterbacks like an offering plate since Cam Newton was booted out of town in 2020, Young has the potential to be the face of a franchise in dire need of one. And he has his backup's support in doing it.