The Carolina Panthers stunned the NFL world Monday when they decided to bench quarterback Bryce Young in favor of veteran Andy Dalton, and ESPN's Adam Schefter reported it was head coach Dave Canales, general manager Dan Morgan and executive vice president Brandt Tillis who made the call.

Schefter cited a source who said it was "Dave Canales' first big-boy decision," while NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported it was quite surprising to the quarterback himself:

This is Canales' first season as an NFL head coach, and Carolina hired him after he helped lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the playoffs as an offensive coordinator.

As for Young, it is quite surprising to see the 2023 No. 1 overall pick benched this early in his career even if he has struggled to this point. Those struggles have only been amplified by the reality that Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud was picked at No. 2 in the same draft and has elevated himself to become one of the best signal-callers in the league.

Young finished the 2023 campaign having completed 59.8 percent of his passes for 2,877 yards and 11 touchdowns against 10 interceptions in 16 games, in addition to rushing for 253 yards.

Amid Young's struggles, the Panthers fired head coach Frank Reich on Nov. 27 after 11 games, replacing him with special teams coordinator Chris Tabor in the interim.

However, the Panthers continued to struggle after the coaching change and finished the 2023 season with a 2-15 record.

Carolina hired Canales as its new head coach entering the 2024 campaign, and the Panthers were surely hoping the move would pay off for the development of Young and the rest of the roster.

Yet Young will now be on the bench in favor of Dalton, who is a three-time Pro Bowler but also in the latter stages of his career. He will turn 37 in October and is 33-52-1 as a starter dating back to the 2016 season.

He started one game last season for the Panthers and went 34-of-58 for 361 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions in a 37-27 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.