Panthers say Young to start at QB against Giants

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers will start quarterback Bryce Young in Sunday’s game against the New York Giants in Munich.

Coach Dave Canales announced Wednesday that Young will get his third straight start in the 9:30 a.m. ET game at Allianz Arena.

“This is about the progress from one week to the next,” Canales said of Young, who engineered his first NFL game-winning touchdown drive late in Sunday’s 23-22 win against the New Orleans Saints. “I talk about finishing all the time. That’s everything. Finish plays, practice, quarters, halves. Finish games.

“He did a fantastic job of finishing that game the right way, finding a way to win and really battling that way.”

General manager Dan Morgan liked what he saw from Young on Sunday, too. He “never opened the door” on discussions to move the top pick of the 2023 draft before Tuesday’s trade deadline, despite getting calls, because “I didn’t want to trade Bryce.”

But Morgan stopped short of committing to Young long term.

“Every week we’re assessing Bryce, taking it day by day of just seeing him grow, seeing him develop, be under Coach and work with him,” Morgan said Wednesday. “We’re excited to see him growing every day. We’re excited to work with him in the future.

“At the end of the day, we’ll have those conversations [about the long term] once the season ends, and we’ll see where we’re at.”

Young said he was thankful for another opportunity to start. In the big picture beyond that, he said, “I trust in God to guide my life.”

“Obviously, my play being evaluated is out of my hands,” Young said. “I want to do everything I can to help the team win. I know after every week it’ll obviously be an evaluation.

“So I try not to think about that.”

The Panthers, meanwhile, also plan to activate rookie running back Jonathon Brooks to the 53-man roster. Brooks spent the first nine games rehabbing from ACL surgery performed last November during his last year at the University of Texas.

Canales stopped short of saying Brooks would play against the Giants but indicated he was trending that way. Canales said outside linebacker D.J. Wonnum was also getting close to being ready. He signed in free agency while recovering from quadriceps surgery last season with the Minnesota Vikings.

Young has a 3-17 record as a starter, 1-3 this season.

He was benched after an 0-2 start this season in favor of Andy Dalton because Canales said the 37-year-old veteran gave the Panthers (2-7) the best chance to win. Dalton was 1-4 as the starter before suffering a thumb injury on his throwing hand in a minor car accident that sidelined him the past two games.

While Dalton was available as the backup Sunday and wasn’t limited Wednesday, Canales opted to stick with Young against the Giants, who are also 2-7.

“A lot of it is chemistry with the guys he’s working with,” Canales said of Young, whose top three receivers Sunday were rookies. “Finding completions, some really, cool explosive plays that showed up in the game.”