One day after the Carolina Panthers fell to 0-2 on the season, the team admitted defeat in another way by benching Bryce Young. The depth chart change comes just 18 games into the former No. 1 pick’s NFL career.
But to be fair, the Panthers quarterback has really struggled thus far in his young career. Right now, Young has the fifth-worst completion rate, the NFL’s worst QBR, and the fewest passing yards among starting quarterbacks. In other words, it was time to make a change. But not everyone agrees with the direction the Panthers are headed in.
Related: Week 3 NFL QB Rankings: Kyler Murray, Baker Mayfield, and Sam Darnold shine
NFL execs believe Carolina Panthers trading up for Bryce Young was a catastrophic mistake
A year ago, the Panthers sent the Chicago Bears a massive trade package for the rights to the 2023 NFL Draft’s No. 1 pick. Here’s how that trade looks now.
Carolina’s 2025 second-round pick still is going to Chicago as the final piece of the Bryce Young trade, which went like this:
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 16, 2024
Bears received:
🏈 WR DJ Moore
🏈 2023 first-round pick (OT Darnell Wright)
🏈 2023 second-round pick (CB Tyrique Stevenson)
🏈 2024 first-round pick…
But that trade happened a year ago. There’s no turning back now. All the Panther can do now is make sure they don’t compound mistakes. The trade was bad, okay, but admitting their mistake sooner than later can only help Carolina get back on the right track. Part of that process could involve benching Bryce Young, just to see if Andy Dalton can create a spark.
However, not everyone believes Dalton is in a better position to succeed. In fact, one anonymous NFL executive believes the Panthers’ franchise is currently a “disaster.”
“One league executive called the Panthers’ situation a “disaster.” Another said the Panthers committed the cardinal sin of trading up in the draft for an “outlier” of a prospect, hoping everything would come together rather than finding ways to accentuate Young’s better qualities.”
The Athletic’s Jeff Howe on Carolina Panthers
The Panthers did what they could to try replenishing the talent they traded away to Chicago. But two games into the Dave Canales era, and Carolina doesn’t look any better than they did during Young’s rookie season when he was coached by Frank Reich. In other words, is coaching really the problem?
Related: 5 top Bryce Young trade landing spots to revitalize Carolina Panthers QB’s NFL career