Is the clock running out on Bryce Young’s tenure in Charlotte?
If things don’t turn out the way it was supposed to when the Carolina Panthers drafted him first overall of the 2023 NFL Draft, it may be time for Young to find a new home.
The relationship between the two teams has been rocky at best, especially when it came to head coach Dave Canales benching him a few games in 2024.
But once Young was drafted by Carolina, the Panthers stripped the whole franchise down to the bones. All the difference makers they had were gone, the veterans moved on elsewhere, and management mortgaged its future just so they could select him.
For Young, a player who showcased exceptional pressure handling while at the University of Alabama, suddenly had the weight of the world laying on top of his 5-foot-10, 204 pound frame.
Carolina traded everything it had. During that draft, the Chicago Bears held the first overall pick, and while they were shopping it around, it was going to take a hefty price.
For whatever reason, the Panthers were OK with what that price was.
Let’s revisit that trade, now that it’s officially complete.
Carolina received:
- 2023 first round pick (no. 1 selection – QB Bryce Young)
Chicago received:
- Wide receiver D.J. Moore
- 2023 first round pick (no. 9 – OT Darnell Wright)
- 2023 second round pick (no. 61 – moved up – selected CB Tyrique Stevenson)
- 2024 first round pick (no. 1 – QB Caleb Williams)
- 2025 second round pick (no. 9 – WR Luther Burden III)
In case you didn’t realize, that is a lot.
It should be the rule of thumb that if a franchise is willing to trade away the first overall pick, it tells you exactly how they feel about the draft as a whole.
This isn’t a knock on Young, who while he has struggled, has improved every year – and nearly led a 20-point fourth quarter comeback against the Arizona Cardinals last week.
But because Carolina threw all it had for Young, it put Young in a vulnerable position. Carolina isn’t a big market, but professional pressure is still pressure. It may have not been intentional on the Panthers’ part, but they still made this a near-impossible situation for Young.
Now he enters Week 3 missing two key members of his offensive line, and it may get worse for him. Young has been one of the most pressured quarterbacks since 2024, getting pressured on 40.7% of his dropbacks, with an 8.4% scramble rate which was sixth in the league last season.
But the performance has been fine all things considered. In 2024, he averaged 8.1 yards per attempt under his pressured dropbacks – which was among the best in the whole NFL.
The problem is, none of that is good enough if he doesn’t win. It’s an encouraging sign that it’s not all his fault, but winning talks, and losing walks.
If Young can’t find a way to win a decent amount this season, it may be his last in Charlotte. And given how two key members of his line will be out for the foreseeable future, the outlook in Carolina doesn’t look pretty.