Panthers GM: No timeline on Bryce Young starting

Carolina Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer doesn't have a set date for when No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young will take the starting quarterback job.

"We're going to rely on our coaches - Jim Caldwell, Frank Reich, Thomas Brown - to decide when it's right," Fitterer said on "PFT PM" to Mike Florio. "We don't have a timeline."

He continued: "We're not saying, 'Hey, this guy's gonna start the first game, or we're not going to play him at all this year.' When the time is right, or we felt like he's got enough of a mastery of the offense where he can go out and operate this and be successful, that's when he'll be out there."

Fitterer added that veteran Andy Dalton, who was signed as a free agent, is the current starter.

"If Andy's the guy to start the season, and he's the starter right now heading into the season, then he'll be the guy," Fitterer explained. "When Bryce is ready, or Matt Corral is ready, whoever it may be, that'll be the time they go in. We say it's open competition, but Frank did say, 'Hey, Andy's, he's our guy right now.' He'll walk into the season as the starter, and then, as you know, the young guys compete underneath him, then they'll go in when they're ready."

The Panthers moved up from the ninth overall pick to No. 1 to select Young. They sent the Chicago Bears a package that included two first-round picks, a pair of second-rounders, and wideout D.J. Moore.

Young faced questions over his 5-foot-10 and 204-pound frame leading up to the draft. However, his stature didn't stop him from lighting up the scoreboards at Alabama. The rookie threw for 80 touchdowns to 12 interceptions in college and won the Heisman Trophy in 2021.

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