Bryce Young\u2019s late-season surge in 2024 was supposed to signify a turning point in his career trajectory. But now that his momentum has fallen flat, there\u2019s a potential issue brewing for the Carolina Panthers.<\/p>\n
Still just 24 and in his third season, Young is anything but a complete product. If we\u2019ve learned anything from the likes of Jared Goff, Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold, nobody\u2019s story should ever be fully told at this stage of their career. Young has also bounced back from more dire circumstances, including last year\u2019s early benching.<\/p>\n
But the 2025 reviews are not favorable, according to a coach, an executive and a scout who have studied Young\u2019s performances this season. He has been downright \u201cawful\u201d at some points during the Panthers\u2019 1-3 start<\/a>, according to one evaluator who was granted anonymity so he could speak openly about another team\u2019s player. He\u2019s looked uncomfortable in the pocket, struggled to see the field, lacked anticipation and failed to be consistently accurate.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think he\u2019s the guy,\u201d another evaluator said.<\/p>\n To be fair, the Panthers have been in rebuilding mode for the better part of a decade. They\u2019ve churned through six head coaches, including interims, since 2019 before landing on current coach Dave Canales. And by continuously switching systems, it\u2019s been years since they\u2019ve been able to build a roster with a unified vision.<\/p>\n Worse, Mayfield and Darnold were both with the Panthers before Young\u2019s arrival, and both have turned into quality starters since they left Carolina. So, while Young hasn\u2019t played well, let\u2019s not pretend he\u2019s been dropped into an ideal situation.<\/p>\n The Panthers bet the house on Young being their franchise quarterback, yet they can\u2019t be confident in their search for answers. In March 2023, the Panthers traded two first-round picks, two second-rounders and star wideout D.J. Moore to the Chicago Bears for the No. 1 pick, which they spent on Young. They had been overly motivated to find a star QB after years of positional purgatory, but the return on investment hasn\u2019t materialized.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not as though the Panthers went rogue in that draft. For most, Young did have the edge over C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson as the top QB of the class, so their evaluation was logical.<\/p>\n But other teams have since pushed back on the Panthers\u2019 process, noting the massive risk of paying such a steep price to move up for a player who wasn\u2019t considered a sure thing. What\u2019s more, because of Young\u2019s slender frame, executives said \u2014 both then and now \u2014 it was unwise to use the No. 1 pick on a player who\u2019d have to prove to be the exception rather than the rule.<\/p>\n There\u2019s been added pressure to make the pick work, too. Stroud delivered an outstanding rookie season, while the Panthers fired head coach Frank Reich after his 11th game; general manager Scott Fitterer was fired after the season. Meanwhile, one of the picks the Panthers traded for Young wound up being the No. 1 selection in 2024, where Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye were among the six first-round QBs available.<\/p>\n So yeah, it\u2019s understandable why the Panthers feel a sense of desperation to make it work with Young. It\u2019s why they invested in the offensive line and used back-to-back first-round picks on wide receivers. It\u2019s why they hired Canales, who has done nice work in the past with quarterbacks Geno Smith and Mayfield.<\/p>\n Young should have enough runway to at least attempt to turn it around. Veteran Andy Dalton, who turns 38 next month, is the only other quarterback on the active roster, though Hendon Hooker is available on the practice squad. Suffice to say, the Panthers owe it to themselves to see it all the way through with Young.<\/p>\n The Panthers benched Young last season after two games, but those circumstances were different. Canales desperately needed a spark after his offense only mustered 13 points through two losses, and he\u00a0needed a veteran to settle the masses. And although Dalton had faded by his fifth start, it\u2019s unclear when he would have relinquished his perch if it weren\u2019t for a thumb injury he suffered in a car accident.<\/p>\n Young played his best ball after returning to the huddle. He won four of his 10 starts down the stretch, completed 61.8 percent of his passes for 2,104 yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions; he added 223 rushing yards and five scores on the ground. By expected points per dropback, Young (0.07) ranked 18th among all qualified QBs during that span, a tick behind Darnold (0.08) and two picks back of Washington rookie phenom Daniels (0.09).<\/p>\n But Young hasn\u2019t kept it going. He\u2019s completed only 60.4 percent of his passes for 753 yards, five touchdowns and three picks this season while also losing a couple of fumbles. Among qualified passers, Young ranks 30th in EPA\/dropback, ahead of only Titans rookie Cam Ward, Browns veteran Joe Flacco and Bengals backup Jake Browning.<\/p>\n At this point, the Panthers would be all but declaring their intentions to split with Young if they benched him again. If it does reach that point, it\u2019s also likely the Panthers would be barreling toward their eighth consecutive season with a losing record. And since owner David Tepper bought the team in 2018, he\u2019s never employed a head coach for three full seasons, which effectively puts Canales on the clock.<\/p>\n This, of course, is the type of turnover that keeps organizations in constant peril. It may also lead to the breaking point that opens the door for Young to find a fresh start with another team.<\/p>\n Measuring stick for Jones<\/p>\n Daniel Jones\u2019 career resurrection surely feels real in his debut season with the Indianapolis Colts, but he gave away a golden opportunity to break down another wall Sunday in the 27-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.<\/p>\n The Colts took over at their own 11-yard line with 1:27 remaining, and Jones fired off two easy completions for 21 yards to get the drive moving. But with a minute to go, Jones made a bad decision and a worse throw to Michael Pittman deep down the left sideline. The ball was underthrown and intercepted by safety Kam Curl. Cornerback Cobie Durant was also underneath Pittman. It was an unnecessary risk after the conservative but effective start to the drive, especially with three timeouts in his pocket.<\/p>\n The fact is perception is important, and there\u2019s still a lot to learn about Jones in his latest chapter. While he\u2019s had a very good start to the season, and the Colts look like a legit playoff contender, opponents may not truly fear Jones until or unless he can prove his ability to take over a game when it\u2019s winning time. Yes, Jones did deliver a game-winning drive two weeks earlier against a stingy Denver Broncos defense, but that took place in more of a four-minute offense.<\/p>\n No, it\u2019s not Jones\u2019 fault wideout Adonai Mitchell inexplicably gave away a touchdown<\/a> by fumbling through the end zone, nor was it the QB\u2019s fault that Mitchell\u2019s late hold took a Jonathan Taylor TD off the board.<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t about that. This was about a situation that presented itself, and Jones and the Colts couldn\u2019t capitalize. They\u2019re off to an impressive start, but there\u2019s still work to be done.<\/p>\n Be careful what you wish for<\/p>\n Lamar Jackson couldn\u2019t finish the Baltimore Ravens\u2019 lopsided loss to the Kansas City Chiefs due to a hamstring injury<\/a>, and it\u2019s hard not to think about what could have been.<\/p>\n As in, it could have been Shedeur Sanders taking over in the fourth quarter in the standalone late-afternoon window.<\/p>\n During the NFL Draft in April, Sanders relayed a sentiment to the Ravens<\/a> that he preferred to be drafted elsewhere, according to Deion Sanders on the Kelce brothers’ “New Heights” podcast.<\/a> Shedeur Sanders\u2019 reasoning made sense in a vacuum: He didn\u2019t want to back up Jackson for the foreseeable future, obviously making it more difficult to earn a starting job during his rookie contract.<\/p>\n But as a fifth-round pick, Sanders was already going to have a difficult path to playing time. And he wound up getting selected by the Cleveland Browns, who already drafted Dillon Gabriel in the third round. Sanders is currently the Browns\u2019 third-stringer, behind Flacco and Gabriel.<\/p>\n Maybe it all works out for Sanders. Flacco hasn\u2019t played well, and the Browns could eventually turn to Gabriel. If he also struggles, Sanders could be up next. It\u2019s hardly a stretch to think Sanders could get an audition by the end of the season. There\u2019s also reason to believe Sanders should be in good hands with two-time NFL Coach of the Year Kevin Stefanski, albeit for an organization that has an extensive history of failing to develop a franchise quarterback.<\/p>\n Back to the original point: It\u2019s shortsighted to solely focus on the QB atop the depth chart. While Jackson is firmly cemented as Baltimore\u2019s starter, he missed 12 games with injuries from 2020-23, and he\u2019ll continue to be vulnerable with his playing style.<\/p>\n Plus, Jackson gets the occasional day off from practice, so the Ravens backup does have extra opportunities sprinkled into his schedule. The Ravens did a nice job of supporting Tyler Huntley in 2021 and 2022 when Jackson was out, and it\u2019s reasonable to think Sanders would have similar resources.<\/p>\n If Sanders ever played well enough in that scenario, the Ravens could have considered trading him. There\u2019s a developing trend of quarterbacks earning time in respected offensive systems and then turning that into a bigger role elsewhere.<\/p>\n Point being, it\u2019s a bit reckless for a quarterback to take a well-respected organization off the table before officially entering the league. A more direct route to playing time surely has its merits, but don\u2019t discard long-term development for short-term gratification.<\/p>\n (Photo: Evan Bernstein \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Bryce Young\u2019s late-season surge in 2024 was supposed to signify a turning point in his career trajectory. 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