Panthers' Bryce Young to start after Dalton hurts thumb in crash

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young hoped to get another chance to start this season, but not under these circumstances.

Veteran Andy Dalton sprained the thumb on his right throwing hand Tuesday when he was in a multicar accident that occurred while he was driving with his wife, three children and dog about seven miles from Bank of America Stadium.

Coach Dave Canales called Young on Tuesday night to inform him he would be the starter Sunday at Denver and announced it publicly Wednesday after a practice in which the top pick of the 2023 draft took all the first-team reps while Dalton observed.

"Originally hearing stuff, that's where my heart was,'' said Young, reminding his thoughts initially were with Dalton and his family, not his opportunity.

Young was benched in favor of Dalton after an 0-2 start in which he threw three interceptions to no touchdowns. Dalton won his debut against the Las Vegas Raiders but lost his past four starts for the 1-6 Panthers.

Still, the plan was to start Dalton against the Broncos (4-3) until Tuesday's accident.

"It was scary,'' Dalton said of the accident. "It was the first time [the children] had kind of gone through something like that. They were pretty shaken up by it. Everybody is healthy, which is the No. 1 thing that we're thankful for. ''

Dalton, 36, wouldn't go into details on how the accident occurred other than it involved a sudden stop in which all the air bags were deployed.

"Now it's a great lesson for us as parents, for them as kids, to make sure you have your seatbelt on ... the priority of the importance of that,'' Dalton said.

For Young, the past five weeks have been a lesson in humility; he was benched after going 2-16 overall as the starter. His goal throughout the process was to remain consistent and improve, which he says he believes he did.

"Definitely, there is adversity,'' he said when asked how big of a challenge the situation was. "But I'm not the only person going through something, I'm not the only person struggling. I just have to continue to be consistent.''

Canales said the hope was Dalton could be the backup Sunday. He said Dalton would be evaluated on a week-to-week basis in terms of who would start after that.

But the first-year NFL head coach said Young had been an "absolute stud'' with the way he had handled his benching.

"He's been engaged the whole time,'' Canales said. "We've had great football conversations during the week, fine-tuning our game plans, on the sideline, talking through things.

"It's great for him -- he approached it with such class and integrity, this hard situation. Now it's let's get back out there and play some football.''

This isn't the first time a Carolina quarterback was injured in a car accident to spark a change during a period when the team was struggling. Cam Newton suffered two back fractures in 2014 in an accident in which his truck tumbled several times less than half a mile from the stadium on a Tuesday.

The Panthers were 4-8-1 but still in the hunt for the NFC South title at the time. Backup Derek Anderson started one game, a win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Carolina went on to win the division with a 7-8-1 record.

Carolina is entering a three-game stretch against the Broncos, New Orleans Saints (2-5) and New York Giants (2-5) before its bye week.

Outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney, who sat out the past two games because a shoulder injury, is among a group of key players expected to return this week to bolster a defense that ranks last in the NFL in points allowed.

He said Young deserves another chance and doesn't consider the Panthers out of contention for the division title with Atlanta and Tampa Bay tied for the lead at 4-3.

"Because of the guys in the locker room,'' Clowney said. "We've just got to put it together and believe it, buy into it. It's going to happen.''