Should the Carolina Panthers bench quarterback Bryce Young?

Matt Alquiza | Sep 15, 2024

Sep 15, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) during pregame warm ups against the Los Angeles Chargers at Bank of America Stadium. \ / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

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Carolina Panthers

Every Bryce Young snap feels like Groundhog's Day.

The second-year quarterback receives the snap, looks uncomfortable in the pocket, and either checks down to a covered running back or forces a ball into coverage that is ultimately unsuccessful. We're seventeen and a half games into the Bryce Young era and all of the data says that he is not an NFL-caliber quarterback.

Through one half of action against the Los Angeles Chargers, Young has completed eight of ten passes for 22 yards and an interception. The Panthers offense is anemic as ever, and Young is at the heart of the issues. The signings of Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis, the trade for Diontae Johnson, the drafting of Xavier Legette, and the appointment of Dave Canales as head coach in Carolina have been band-aids that cannot fix the irreparable issue that is Bryce Young.

For a new regime that is in full-on evaluation of talent mode, Andy Dalton may be the best option for the offense going forward. The veteran quarterback can, if nothing else, stand confidently in an NFL pocket and deliver passes downfield to his receivers.

The Panthers did nothing wrong in drafting Young in 2023. The former Heisman Trophy winner was deemed a safe selection at the top of his draft class due to his marksman-like accuracy and off-the-field intangibles. Neither of those traits have translated to NFL success, and for the future of the franchise's weapons like Legette, Ja'Tavion Sanders, and the evaluation of Dave Canales' coaching chops, Andy Dalton is the man for the job.