ESPN NFL insider predicts Carolina Panthers' next move at quarterback

Jeremy Fowler at ESPN shares his thoughts on what the Panthers will do with Bryce Young in 2025.

Tim Weaver | 2 Hours Ago

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 24: Quarterback Bryce Young #9 of the Carolina Panthers rolls out of the pocket during the third quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Bank of America Stadium on November 24, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. / (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

In this story:

Carolina Panthers

Bryce Young is coming off his best game as an NFL quarterback. While the traditional stats won't blow anybody away, anyone who actually watched Young knows he made several very high-level throws, especially when he was going deep. Pro Football Focus recognized that much, naming Young the league's best deep passer for Week 13.

That Young's break-through came against a tough and aggressive Kansas City Chiefs defense makes it all the more impressive. It's the best evidence yet that Young has not only turned a corner compared to how he played last year and early this season, this game was proof that Young really could be something special at this level,

While this game convinced us Young could still live up to his number one overall pick status, the Carolina Panthers seem less than certain about that. One need only listen to head coach Dave Canales claiming that Young showing he can be a franchise quarterback is still far in the future to know the organization is not yet sold on Young.

The latest buzz from Jeremy Fowler at ESPN aligns with that idea. Here's what he shared about Young and the Panthers.

ESPN on Bryce Young-Panthers QB situation

"The Panthers have made Young earn the job week to week, but he's making a case to be the starter for the rest of the season. He's coming off his best game with 263 yards and one touchdown pass against a strong Chiefs defense. But if Carolina believes it can replace Young with better talent in 2025, it will. There's no need to make that determination yet, and Young could serve as a good bridge or competition with another quarterback."

As Dan Graziano mentioned in his follow-up, a lot depends on how Young finishes out the season, and he claims to reserve the right to change his mind if Young falls apart down the stretch. That would be about the only thing that might come between us and pounding the table for Young to start Week 1 next year, no matter what else they do at quarterback. To be clear, Young would have to totally regress into the mess that he was in Weeks 1-2 this season in at least three of the team's last six games this year to change that math.

Stranger things have happened in the NFL, but Young bombing down the stretch seems like an increasingly unlikely scenario. Young's breakout game against the Chiefs did not come out of nowhere. He was building up to it by improving in each of his previous three starts, two of which also came against a couple of stout defensive units.

That's more proof that Young is figuring things out, and echoes what we witnessed in August, when Young thrived in his one drive against the Buffalo Bills' backups and also lit up a tough New York Jets D during the joint practice scrimmage.

We don't have any objection to the team attempting to upgrade their quarterback situation, but to suggest that Young isn't finally starting to live up to expectations is simply wrong. Hopefully the Panthers have enough patience to let that process play out - even if they score a potential QB upgrade this offseason.