Benched before, Panthers' Andy Dalton relates to Bryce Young

CHARLOTTE, N.C. --Carolina Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton attempted to appear inconspicuous at his locker last week as reporters gathered nearby in hopes of talking toBryce Youngfor the first time since he was replaced by Dalton after an 0-2 start. Yet Dalton's eyes were locked in, his mind reflecting on the time he went through what Young, No. 1 pick of the 2023 draft, is going through now.

That happened in 2019, when Dalton and the Cincinnati Bengals were off to an 0-8 start and coach Zac Taylor benched the 2011 second-round pick in favor of rookie Ryan Finley.

On Dalton's birthday.

A few months later, Dalton was released as the Bengals were poised to select Joe Burrow with the No. 1 pick of the draft.

So if anybody has empathy for what Young is going through, as Dalton prepares to face his former team on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, Fox) following a stellar performance in a 36-22 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders, it's the 36-year-old known as the "Red Rifle."

"It was a tough one," Dalton told ESPN as he recalled being benched. "We'd just played in London, so we came back for the bye week and a lot was going on. I got called on my birthday and was told they were making the switch.

"It was hard, because I had a lot of conversations that seemed like [Taylor] felt differently. Obviously, I got it. We hadn't won a game yet, but I felt like there was a lot of other factors involved."

Like Dalton, Young didn't see the switch coming, based on the public signals he had gotten the first two games. Coach Dave Canales was emphatic after a Week 1 embarrassment that the best way for Young to improve was "to be on the field."

He was just as emphatic after a Week 2 rout by the Los Angeles Chargers that "Bryce Young is our quarterback."

The next day Young was benched.

He admitted he was "surprised," and a source close to Young described it as "blindsided."

Dalton understands, so he has done everything possible to help the 23-year-old through the challenging experience. He doesn't believe the Panthers (1-2) have given up on Young, just as he doesn't believe the Bengals gave up on him too early when he was benched and cut.

"There's every emotion with anything that goes on right now," Dalton said. "It's tough, because you know Bryce knows that he has all the ability to be the guy, and everybody knows that and believes that.

"But when it's taken away from you, it's hard. I've felt every emotion he's feeling."

Dalton also doesn't take pleasure in Burrow, the quarterback who replaced him in Cincinnati, starting this season 0-3.

"You never want to see anybody go through it," he said.

The NFL brotherhood can create a different type of relationship than is seen in most jobs when one person is fired and another hired.

You could see that after Sunday's game when Young was one of the first to hug and congratulate Dalton in the locker room.

"Andy's more of a big brother to Bryce," said wide receiver Jonathan Mingo, who is expected to play a bigger role against the Bengals with Adam Thielen (hamstring) on injured reserve. "There's no bad blood, just a big bro showing him how to do it."

Thielen agreed

"This is a relationship that has been built between the two of them over a long time," he said. "They trust each other. They love each other."

Running back Chuba Hubbard said it was the same way when he replaced Miles Sanders as the starter last season.

"It was a tough situation for all of us, the adversity," he said of Young being benched. "But Andy's a vet. He knows how to handle it."

It wasn't that way for Dalton when he was benched in Cincinnati. He was replaced by a rookie who was out of the lineup after three starts, with no wins, and out of the league after two seasons.

Dalton didn't have a veteran to lean on. He also still believed he could play at a high level, which makes his current opportunity and what he did against the Raiders (319 yards passing, 3 TDs) so satisfying.

Getting benched on his birthday, however, was probably the most unsatisfying thing of his career.

"It gives me a whole different perspective on this thing [with Young] because I've been through it on every angle," Dalton said. "I was able to get back after three games and throw a touchdown that broke the Bengals' all-time record for touchdown passes and won a couple of games to finish the season."

Dalton's 17-yard touchdown to Tyler Boyd in his first start after being benched gave him 198, breaking Ken Anderson's team record. He finished with 204 touchdown passes for the Bengals, a mark that should stand for a while, as Burrow is halfway there at 102.

"I had a great run there," Dalton said. "There's not many people that can say they spent nine years in one spot."

Dalton believes Young still has that chance with Carolina, but for now Dalton is enjoying the moment, knowing if he plays well, he'll have a chance to start against all four of his former teams this season: Bengals (Week 4), Chicago Bears(Week 5), New Orleans Saints(Week 9) and Dallas Cowboys(Week 15).

He also knows he could be benched if things don't go well. Of the 13 quarterbacks last season who didn't start the opener but won their eventual first start, 10 went on to start multiple games, going 1-9 in their second start.

"When you see success, it's still hard," Dalton said. "When you see things aren't going to well, it's hard. You just have to deal with all the emotions of it."