CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback Bryce Young was held out of practice on Thursday because of an ankle injury and is expected to miss the Panthers game against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, the team announced.
Young, the No. 1 pick in the draft, suffered the injury at some point in the first half of Monday’s 20-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints, according to offensive coordinator Thomas Brown. Young played through it and the staff only learned of his injury after the game, according to Brown. Young finished the game without any obvious signs of pain and threw a touchdown pass to Adam Thielen on his final drive of the night.
Expected to start in place of Young is Andy Dalton, the former pro bowler who signed with Carolina this offseason. Dalton appeared in one snap for the Panthers on Monday against the Saints, tossing a handoff to Miles Sanders on a third-and-short situation.
“If Andy is the starter, we have a lot of confidence.” head coach Frank Reich said Wednesday. “This is why you bring someone like Andy in. Our goal is to put our team in position to win championships and despite a tough start that is our vision, that is our goal and what we’re working toward. My experience personally as a player and as a coach is that you’re going to need somebody for one game or two or three somewhere along the line. If Andy plays we believes he gives us a very good chance to win.”