Pete Carroll called Bryce Young "the best player in America" when discussing the Panthers quarterback Wednesday. The Seahawks coach won't have to worry about facing him when Seattle hosts Carolina on Sunday.
Young did not practice Wednesday or Thursday, and the team announced he is not expected to play against the Seahawks. With Young missing the game, backup Andy Dalton will start for the Panthers.
"This is why you bring in someone like Andy," Reich said. "If Andy plays, we believe he gives us a very good chance to win."
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Young has gotten off to a slow start in the NFL. The Panthers have lost twice, to the Falcons and Saints, with Young completing just 59.2 percent of his passes for 299 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He's also rushed five times for 51 yards.
WEEK 3 PICKS: Straight up | Against the spread | Model
Here's the latest on Young's injury.
Bryce Young injury update
Young missed practice Wednesday and Thursday with his ankle injury, and is unlikely not to suit up when the team faces the Seahawks in Seattle on Sunday. Missing any time at practice was already enough by itself for Young to be held out of the game, with Reich saying young quarterbacks need more time to be ready during the week.
"How many days of practice is needed for a young player to play vs. a 10-year vet?" Reich said. "If he's a younger player, maybe you want him to practice a little bit more. That's an idea of stuff that we think through and goes into the equation. It all matters."
Reich said the ankle was looked at after Monday's loss to the Saints, but said that he did not believe it had an effect on the outcome of the primetime clash with New Orleans.
Young missing the Seahawks game will mean a start for a fifth different team for Dalton, who started 14 games for the Saints last year after Jameis Winston suffered multiple fractures in his back during Week 1. With New Orleans, Dalton completed 66.7 percent of his passes, the best rate of his career, for 2,871 yards with 18 touchdown passes and nine interceptions.
