The Carolina Panthers made the surprising decision on Monday to bench 2023 first-round pick Bryce Young and instead start veteran quarterback Andy Dalton for their Week 3 game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Read more from Newsweek Sports: Panthers surprisingly bench Bryce Young after 2 weeks of the 2024 season

Panthers head coach Dave Canales told reporters that the decision was his and that he believes Dalton gives the team the best chance of winning in the future.

Read more: Panthers HC Dave Canales explains decision to bench Bryce Young

This decision came as a big surprise to virtually everyone – including Young himself.

According to Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz, Young and his confidants are “very shocked” by the decision. “It came out of nowhere,” a source told Schultz.

The Panthers selected Young with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. They traded wide receiver DJ Moore and five draft picks for Young, expecting him to be the quarterback of the future in Carolina. However, after just 18 starts, they are going in a different direction – at least for now.

More news: Bryce Young trade – What did the Panthers give up for the quarterback now on the bench?

Young has led the Panthers to a 2-16 record in his 18 career starts. Last year, he completed 59.8 percent of his passes for 2,877 yards with 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. In the first two games this season, Young completed 55.4 percent of his passes for just 245 yards with zero touchdowns and three interceptions. The Panthers were beaten 73-13 in their first two games.

While the immediate plan to put Dalton in the starting lineup is known, it’s unclear what the future holds for Young in Carolina. On Sunday, Canales told reporters after the game that Young wasn’t going anywhere.

“Bryce is our quarterback,” Canales said Sunday. “We’re just going to continue to work on stepping up and improving the things that we need to improve fundamentally from a game standpoint, all of those things. Those are all valuable reps, those are all valuable plays. We’ll learn a lot from this game and hopefully take another step this week.”

On Monday, Canales must have changed his mind.

“After seeing the film, I looked at it, thought about it and talked to the people we make decisions with,” Canales said Monday. “There are certainly a lot of parties involved. Ultimately, that’s on me, and my main responsibility is to help the Panthers get that win, and I believe this move gives us the best chance to do that this week.”

For now, Young will be Dalton’s backup. The Panthers have no other quarterbacks on their active roster. Quarterback Jack Plummer is on the team’s practice squad. He signed with the Panthers as an undrafted free agent this offseason.