Bryce Young credits Andy Dalton's mentorship in development as Panthers QB prepares for rookie season
Quarterbacks Bryce Young and Andy Dalton are at different ends of the spectrum when it comes to their NFL careers. Yet, they are battling for the same job: to become the Carolina Panthers QB1 for the 2023 NFL season.
However, one of the remits that the senior quarterback will have is to mentor the younger quarterback. The Carolina Panthers did not trade up the 2023 NFL Draft to take the Alabama quarterback with the No. 1 pick only to let him sit indefinitely behind another player.
He will be the starting quarterback for the Carolina Panthers in the future; the only question is how soon that time in the future might be.
Many veteran quarterbacks do not take to this role easily. They believe that their job is to hold on to their job, which is hard to come by in the NFL, and leave the rookie to learn on his own. However, that has not been Young's experience with Dalton.
As seen on "Hard Knocks" Episode 2 for the 2023 season, the Panthers were taking on the New York Jets in joint practice sessions when the rookie quarterback got chatting with Aaron Rodgers.
At one point, the Jets quarterback gestured towards Andy Dalton and asked Bryce Young if the veteran Panthers quarterback was helping him out. The Alabama alumnus replied:
"For sure, for sure. I definitely got lucky. He's been great to work with. I've asked him a million questions. He's always been there, so it's been cool."
You can watch the video below from around the 2:25 seconds mark for the full conversation:
Aaron Rodgers rooting for Bryce Young to succeed Andy Dalton
While Andy Dalton got high praise from Bryce Young, Rodgers is clearly rooting for the young quarterback to succeed him. Referring to his own time with the Green Bay Packers, the four-time MVP mentioned that he had been in "one place forever".
When the rookie Panthers quarterback replied that he could imagine, the future Hall-of-Famer said:
"I hope that for you."
Aaron Rodgers himself benefited from backing up Hall-of-Fame quarterback Brett Favre for three years after joining the Green Bay Packers. He got the time to learn from a veteran before coming onto the field and showing his undoubted talent.
Even though Favre might not have seen it as his job to mentor Rodgers, he certainly inspired the player who replaced him.
Hence, it is not surprising to see him give words of advice and check up on other quarterbacks who are in a similar position to where he was when he was drafted.