Will Bryce Young play for the Panthers against the Bills on Sunday? Who is his backup?

Starting quarterback Bryce Young has been ruled out for the Carolina Panthers this weekend, a blow for the young star after impressing this season.

Young suffered a high ankle sprain in last week’s victory over the New York Jets. He has not practiced all week and was listed as ‘Doubtful’ throughout but was confirmed as out on Saturday.

Without Young in the team the Bills will turn to veteran backup Andy Dalton, who turns 38 next week. The three-time Pro Bowl QB spent nine years with the Cincinnati Bengals before spells with the Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints. He joined the Panthers on a two-year deal in 2023 and had it extended for a further two seasons earlier this year.

The absence of Young is a blow for the Panthers, who had started to see the best of the 24-year-old this season. Drafted with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, Young faced enormous pressure from the off but he has started to show his true ability this season.

Speaking on Friday, Panther coach Dave Canales admitted that he has hoping to see Young back on the field after making good progress in his recovery.

“He’s made progress every day, and we want to just keep our options open right now,” Canales explained. “Didn’t want to rule him out, just wanted to say, 'OK, you woke up today, it was better than you did yesterday, so tomorrow we’ll move around’. We rested it pretty good today. We had two good days of work on that ankle, so we’ll take a look at it again tomorrow, and then we’ll make the best decision from there.”

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