Bryce Young owns a win over fellow 2023 NFL Draft first-round pick CJ Stroud, however, the fact that it remains his only win in the league after 10 weeks says a lot about the development divide between him and the budding Houston superstar.
For months heading into the 2023 NFL Draft, football experts around the country debated if former Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young or Ohio State star CJ Stroud should be the top overall pick. However, as the event drew closer, a low score on the S2 Cognition test for Stroud, while Young had the highest, seemed to slow the buzz on the Big-10 talent, and the momentum behind Young to the Carolina Panthers intensified.
Related: NFL QB Rankings – C.J. Stroud, Joshua Dobbs climb, as Bryce Young and Mac Jones slip into Week 10
When Stroud landed with the Houston Texans in the April event, the prevailing belief was that Young had the better route to success. He had a QB-friendly and veteran head coach in Frank Reich, and talented Pro Bowlers like Miles Sanders, Adam Thielen, and DJ Chark to help make life easier in year one. That has not at all been the case for the Panthers and their disastrous season continued with another loss on Thursday Night Football.
Bryce Young continues to widen gap between CJ Stroud but in the wrong direction
After ten games, the Panthers have one lone victory and just lost to a Bears team that had two wins before Week 10. Furthermore, Chicago didn’t even have their starting QB available against Carolina. Sure, the Panther’s struggles in 2023 aren’t all on Young, but he surely is a big part of it.
Heading into tonight’s game, the top overall selection in the April draft, and former Heisman Trophy winner, owned a 77.1 passer rating. That number is lower than run-first rookie Anthony Richardson’s 87.3 — before his season ended after four starts — and nearly 30 points lower than Stroud’s 102.9.
- Bryce Young stats (2023): 1,375 yards, 8 TDs, 7 INTs, 77.1 rating
Undrafted fellow rookie Tyson Bagent — the man starting opposite of him on Thursday in place of Justin Fields — entered the game with a better completion percentage than the top overall pick. Bagent is unlikely to create a QB controversy in Chicago, but his 20 completions for 162 yards were again still more efficient than Young on Thursday.
Related: 5 worst NFL quarterback performances from Week 9, including Bryce Young
Over four quarters, Bryce Young was only able to connect on 21 of his 38 passes for 185 yards and led the offense to just six points. The Panthers special teams outscored their expensive and supposedly talented offense tonight 7-6 after posting a punt return in the first quarter.
While Young avoided throwing an INT versus the Bears their best drive of the night was just six plays and 80 yards. However, the Panthers actually had a chance to at least tie or take the lead with the game at 16-13 late in the fourth. He had this opportunity against a head coach with a 1-9 record leading the Bears in one-score games and a defense in the bottom five of our latest NFL defense rankings.
Unfortunately, Young was only able to get his team near midfield and asked their kicker to tie the game on a 59-yard kick. To the surprise of no one that attempt failed.
Heading into this week, there was a growing narrative around the league that maybe the Panthers made a blockbuster trade earlier this year to move up several spots in the NFL Draft only to swing and miss with Young. The fact that Stroud is breaking rookie records, is among the best QBs in the game in several major statistical categories, and has his team in the playoff chase with less talent around him at 4-4 certainly doesn’t help.
It is way too early to call Bryce Young a draft bust, but after 10 games, the young signal-caller has a massive gap to make up with the player he will forever be linked to after going before him in the April draft.