Panthers to start young; Brooks could make his debut

CHARLOTTE, NC — Quarterback Bryce Young will make his second straight start for the Carolina Panthers on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints and Jonathan Brooks could make his NFL debut.

Brooks spent the first eight games rehabbing from ACL surgery in November while he was at the University of Texas. Chuba will share the backfield with Hubbard and Myles Sanders if the second-round pick is activated on the 53-man roster.

Young will start while veteran Andy Dalton continues to rehabilitate from a sprained thumb on his throwing hand, which he suffered in a car accident last week. Dalton was a full participant in practice Wednesday and is expected to be Young's backup.

“To me, it took the decision out of Andy's hands,” coach Dave Canales said. “If you ask Andy, 'Can you go?' He'll say yes and, for me, he's like a week off a thumb injury and I want to make sure we're getting him back in the right shape and in the right frame.

“And I'm excited for Bryce to have another chance to build on what we've talked about. Just to continue to grow and gain that experience that we've talked about is invaluable.”

This will be Young's second start against the Saints. Completed 13 of 30 pass attempts for 161 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions in a 47-10 loss at New Orleans in Week 1.

He was replaced by Dalton after an 0-2 start and didn't get another start until Sunday at Denver. He completed 24 of 37 pass attempts for 224 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in a 28-14 loss.

Brooks won't start, but will get some reps behind Hubbard if he's ready.

While there was speculation before the season that Brooks would ultimately make Hubbard expendable when he becomes a free agent after the season, the team appears committed to re-signing Hubbard to a long-term deal and keeping both backs moving forward.

Canales said he wants to look at Brooks for a full week before committing to him playing Sunday, but the window ends next Wednesday.

“Thinking about him and making sure he's confident and ready to go,” Canales said. “So we're going to stack up here for a few more days before we make that decision.''

Canales said he won't make a decision on who will start at quarterback until next week after Sunday. Young said he's looking at his situation week-to-week, but is grateful for a second chance to face New Orleans.

Wednesday was the first day this season that the Panthers practiced without wide receiver Deontay Johnson, who was traded to the Baltimore Ravens on Tuesday.

“Just his drive, his sanity to compete,” Young said of Johnson. He always gave his all. I have nothing but love for him.”

A league source said the Panthers began exploring the idea of ​​trading Johnson a few weeks ago. First there were two suitors, and a few days ago the Ravens entered the picture.

Canales declined to comment on whether the issues Johnson had in the locker room with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who traded the Pro Bowl receiver to Carolina in March, had anything to do with him moving on.

“These are all things I'm going to keep at home,” Canales said. “I hope you can respect that part.''