Second-year Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young will unexpectedly return to the starting lineup for this Sunday's game at the 4-3 Denver Broncos as veteran Andy Dalton works to recover from a sprained thumb he suffered in a Tuesday car accident.
As Young managed scout-team duties amid his benching after Week 2, multiple teammates offered the 23-year-old advice on handling a difficult situation for any young signal-caller selected with the first overall pick of an NFL Draft.
"To believe in himself,'' pass-rusher Jadeveon Clowney shared about what he previously said to Young, per David Newton of ESPN. "You know what got you here. You know how to play football. You were the No. 1 pick for a reason. Just continue to believe in yourself and keep the haters away.''
It's now clear first-year Panthers head coach Dave Canales sat Young so early into the campaign in part because Canales feared he could lose the locker room by continuing to play who was, statistically speaking, the worst starting quarterback of the season's first two weeks. According to Tim Weaver of Sports Illustrated, The Athletic's Dianna Russini said during the latest edition of her "Scoop City" podcast that other teams were "kinda licking their chops" thinking Carolina could make Young available before the Nov. 5 trade deadline.
The situation changed this week, and Young seemingly has a chance to resurrect his Panthers career.
Carolina cornerback Michael Jackson has some scout team experience and advised Young to try to "have fun" during the practice sessions as Dalton remained atop the depth chart.
"At the end of the day," Jackson said, "it's still football. You can get thrown in the game at any moment. If you're not prepared and taking it seriously, you're going to get out there and not know what you're doing.''
Jackson added that some quarterbacks may not "know how to function because they lost their job in front of everybody." He also said Young never "complained about it like most guys." However, that doesn't mean the version of Young, who largely looked lost in September, won't reemerge in Denver this weekend.
As of Thursday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Panthers as massive 9.5-point underdogs against a Broncos team that has won four of its past five games. Per ESPN stats, Denver is responsible for the NFL's fifth-ranked pass defense (170.7 yards allowed per game) heading into Week 8.
