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Panthers QB Bryce Young to start vs. Saints as Andy Dalton returns to practice from car crash thumb injury

The Carolina Panthers are sticking with Bryce Young.

Young will get the start again on Sunday in their matchup with the New Orleans Saints, head coach Dave Canales confirmed on Wednesday. Young regained the starting job last week after veteran Andy Dalton was sidelined with a sprained thumb in his right hand. Dalton will serve as Young’s backup on Sunday.

Dalton was involved in a car accident last week while driving with his wife, their three children and their dog. While “everyone was OK” from the crash, Dalton sustained a thumb sprain in his throwing hand.

Dalton was a full participant at practice on Wednesday, Canales said, but he noted that it’s only been a week since the incident and his thumb injury. While he is progressing, the team is still being cautious.

“It really was me taking the decision out of Andy’s hands,” Canales said. “If you were to ask Andy like, ‘Can you go?’ He would tell you yes. For me it’s like, he’s a week removed from a thumb injury. I just wanted to make sure that we’re putting him back out there in the right state and the right framework.

“And, I’m excited for Bryce to have another opportunity to build on things that we’ve talked about, to continue to just grow and get that experience that we’ve talked about that’s invaluable to be on the field, calling the plays and doing it.”

Young, who the Panthers traded up to select with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft, was benched after a rough 0-2 start this season. Dalton stepped in and immediately led the team to a win, but they’ve since lost five straight and enter Sunday’s contest with a 1-7 record. Young went 24-of-37 for 224 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in last week’s 28-14 loss to the Denver Broncos.

It’s unclear if Dalton will start again later this season. The Panthers will take on the New York Giants in Germany next week before their bye week, which would provide Dalton extra time to recover if that’s the direction the Panthers want to go. But if Young can rebound from his poor start and lead the Panthers to a win or two — which is something they haven’t seen in well over a month now — he could regain the starting job for good.

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