Fans of the NFL scrutinizing the 2024 Carolina Panthers will likely get fixated on the state of their quarterback room.
Bryce Young handled the reins last year, but the No. 1 pick endured a rigid rookie campaign that saw the Panthers finish 2-15. The Heisman Trophy winner from Alabama will aim to redeem himself under new head coach Dave Canales.
However, he’s not the only veteran option in this QB room Canales can turn to, especially ahead of Carolina’s preseason opener on Thursday against the New England Patriots.
Who Else Lines Up at Quarterback With Bryce Young?
Young is officially an NFL veteran after withstanding his first season in the pros.
Also standing in the room is a passer with 14 seasons on his résumé in Andy Dalton.
Like Young, Dalton endured the downtrodden 2023 season. He only made one start and lost that contest against the Seattle Seahawks, despite throwing for 361 yards and two touchdowns in the 37-27 affair on Sept. 24.
Dalton, known as “Red Rifle” across the league for his famed red hair, is in the second year of the two-year contract he signed in March 2023. The previously playoff-bound quarterback with the Cincinnati Bengals gets another chance at mentoring/backing up Young.
Will this mean Young easily gets QB1 duties ahead of the Panthers’ preseason opener? That won’t be the case, as decided by Canales on Tuesday. He’s opted to rest Young for the Thursday opener. Dalton, however, won’t likely see action either. He’s been dinged up during training camp practices.
So with Young and Dalton not expected to lead the Panthers’ offense, who are the other quarterback options against the Patriots fighting for a spot on the 2024 depth chart?
Getting To Know Jack Plummer
Meet your potential QB1 at Gillette Stadium for Carolina.
Plummer comes over to Charlotte as a 24-year-old rookie. Plummer’s journey saw him going undrafted before landing with the Panthers.
The towering 6’5″, 215-pound passer happens to be a journeyman QB in the collegiate world. After throwing 6,913 career passing yards and 69 touchdowns for Gilbert High School in Arizona, Plummer started his CFB stint with the Purdue Boilermakers and the 2018 recruiting class.
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Plummer, though, lasted three seasons in West Lafayette and entered the transfer portal. He found his way back out west with the California Golden Bears from 2022-2023. Plummer tossed a career-best 21 touchdowns in his first campaign in Berkeley, but none of his Cal teams clinched a bowl berth.
He had one more collegiate stop at Louisville. Plummer went on to match his previous-best 21 touchdowns in his lone season with the Cardinals. He went 10-4 overall as the starter and guided Louisville to the Atlantic Coast Conference title game — which also became his first taste of Bank of America Stadium.
Getting To Know Jake Luton
Plummer isn’t the only past Pac-12 QB available for Thursday.
Luton, who starred for Oregon State, joins Young as the most recent addition to this room.
The 6’6″ passer got signed to the roster Monday, three days ahead of the preseason opener. While Luton was drafted in the sixth round by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020, he’s mostly spent time on different NFL practice squads.
That includes two stints with the Panthers during the 2023 season. His familiarity with the franchise comes in handy as Carolina is limited to two healthy options to lead Canales’ offense.
Luton is best known among Oregon State fans for throwing 28 touchdowns and only three interceptions during his final CFB season in 2019. He also had past stops at Idaho and Ventura College — the latter coached by former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver coach Steve Mooshagian.
While the Panthers are employing four QBs, fans will likely have to wait until the regular season to see how Young fares under Canales.