5 Bryce Young Backup Options for Panthers If Andy Dalton is Traded

The Carolina Panthers want a new backup QB. They're listening to offers for Andy Dalton, and they have expressly said they'd like someone new to back Bryce Young up. Who could that be?

The criteria was set forth by GM Dan Morgan. He wants someone younger than Dalton, but ideally someone who is actually young, so Mitch Trubisky, for example, is not a candidate.

He also wants someone athletic and who can provide some competition for Young. With that in mind, these five options make the most sense to back Young up in 2026.

Zach Wilson

Zach Wilson is athletic. That was one of the things that helped him skyrocket up draft boards. He can use his feet, and he's only 26. He's also a free agent, making him a very easy player to add. It won't cost the Panthers much.

His previous starting experience, albeit without hardly any success, means he can provide some competition or at least push Young forward. Wilson is probably the ideal target to back Young up.

Trey Lance

Trey Lance was pitched by Joe Person of The Athletic as a potential backup option. He is very athletic. Like Wilson, it was his calling card that led to him being drafted very early in 2021. He has yet to pan out.

Lance has less starting experience than Wilson, but he is a little bit younger, and he would cost no more (probably less) than Wilson on the open market. The problem with both is that some teams will likely try one or both of them as reclamation projects.

Sam Howell

Sam Howell is the youngest QB in the 2026 free agent class. He has about one season of starting experience, and at times, he looked like a potential starter in the league. The Panthers could do much worse than that.

He is also a local product. He went to college at North Carolina, so it'd be a homecoming that might bring some fans into the fold.

Anthony Richardson

Anthony Richardson is absolutely a long shot. He's only available through trade, and with free agent options, it's hard to imagine the Panthers parting with a draft pick to fill the backup QB void unless they draft one themselves (also unlikely).

Richardson is very young and extremely athletic, so he'd be great in that regard. But there will be teams interested who want to develop him as a starter, something that won't happen in Carolina.

Kenny Pickett

Kenny Pickett is almost 28, but that still doesn't quite remove him from the "young" category. He's bounced around the league, but that gives him knowledge and experience that some of these other QBs don't have.

He can make plays with his feet and since he is a former longtime starter, he could provide some competition for Young. However, since he is a little older and a little more established, the reclamation project trend could come for him, too.