With Young out, can veteran QB Andy Dalton jump-start Carolina’s offense in Seattle?

Things are a tad bit different for Andy Dalton this week.

As the Carolina Panthers backup quarterback, he’s typically tasked with running the scout team during practice leading up to game day. Simulating what the opposition likes to do, along with serving as a knowledgeable sounding board for Bryce Young, the Panthers’ 22-year-old franchise quarterback, is at the top of his job description.

But that’s about to be altered. And it makes a part of Dalton downright giddy.

“Yeah, absolutely,” Dalton said Thursday. “I’ve had a certain way of operating my whole career. And when you go from starting to backup, that’s one of the things that you miss. The scout team is one thing. But when you get a chance to kind of take ownership of what you are doing and how you want it to look and how you want it to feel and you get to execute it, that’s what make football fun.”

With Young unable to practice for a second straight day and unlikely to play in Seattle against the Seahawks (1-1) on Sunday, a team spokesman confirmed to The Observer, it’s now on Dalton to help pull the Panthers out of their season-opening offensive funk. There’s little clarity on the severity of Young’s ankle injury, which Panthers offensive coordinator Thomas Brown said occurred at some point during the first half of Carolina’s 20-17 loss to New Orleans on Monday.

But until Young is fully healthy, one thing is certain: the signal-caller reins are Dalton’s in the meantime.

So what changes offensively for the Panthers (0-2) with the 13-year veteran barking out the instructions in the huddle and behind center as opposed to Young, the No. 1 pick in this year’s NFL Draft who is tabbed to lead the franchise forward?

“Nothing,” Panthers tight end Hayden Hurst said, referring to what might change. “We just have to go out there and execute our stuff. Obviously, we are going to miss Bryce. We need him to get a little bit healthier. He’ll be back out there with us soon. But it’s all about just exciting our own stuff.

“Obviously, we need to know what they are doing but we can’t worry too much about the Seahawks. We just need to go out there and execute our own stuff and get the ball rolling.”

Still, there could be a tweak or two with how the Panthers may approach things in the Pacific Northwest. A deafening crowd at Lumen Field makes it among the most difficult places for opponents.

Dalton’s presence could aid in keeping the offense from getting too rattled and the staff will lean on him in at least one other regard. He’s with his fifth NFL team, the others being Cincinnati (9 years), Dallas, Chicago and last year, New Orleans.

“The difference would end up being with him being an experienced quarterback,” Brown said, “and having a ton of reps, having played this opponent in the past, I may be giving him a little more insight in what he likes to call in a game when it comes to some of the drop-back pass game and play-action pass from that inventory standpoint.

“But we will keep the core of our offense and continue to keep building with that.”

Through two games, it’s been quite a struggle for the Panthers offensively. They’ve reached the end zone just twice — both via the pass — and have accumulated a paltry 520 yards. Stringing together lengthy drives has also been an issue, one that’s exacerbated by the Panthers’ inability to convert on third down. Carolina is 9 for 28 when faced with keeping the chains moving.

Perhaps Dalton can assist in jump-starting Carolina’s offense. His teammates are convinced he’ll slide into the lineup just fine.

“He has that veteran presence of being able to diagnose things and being able to get the ball where it needs to be,” wide receiver DJ Chark said. “He’s been in the league for years, so I’m very confident in his ability and what he does and what he brings to the table. So it’s exciting to get to go out there. I’ve had a lot of reps with him in camp. So, I’m just ready to go out there and make the plays.”

Having those quality throwing sessions with Dalton during the dog days of August leading up to the season’s grind created some early synergy that can be potentially dialed up against a Seattle secondary that’s allowed the third-highest passing yards (605) in the league this season — and one that is yielding the third-most yards per play (8.9).

Being on the receiving end for his fair share of passes flying out of the 6-2, 220-pounder’s arm throughout training camp and preseason practice means Chark could be an optimal target against the Seahawks. Either way, he thinks they’ll have something to offer.

“For sure,” Chark said. “I’ve had the honor of playing with a lot of quarterbacks in my career so far, so I know the difference of going out there and playing with a guy that you haven’t had reps with. And sometimes it takes a little while and sometimes it just hits. You never know.

“But when you are going out there with a guy that you know you have reps with, that chemistry is already built. So, you can just go out there and make plays. And obviously the defense is going to be out there to stop us. So, it’s being able to have those conversations if we see something and change something on the fly.”

Maybe that connection between Chark and Dalton can play a role in the Panthers reversing their current offensive trend and spur them to post more points. Collectively, they just haven’t effectively moved the ball enough.

“I don’t think there’s one thing that’s caused it,” Dalton said. “I feel like it’s been different things at times. Different guys taking turns on missed assignments or just the execution hasn’t been there. And that’s the thing with offensive football. Everybody’s got to be on the same page, everybody has to be working together for it to work. It hasn’t happened at times and our goal is to get that fixed and get it rolling.”