Bryce Young on the move? 3 potential trade destinations for the Panthers quarterback

Matt Alquiza | Sep 17, 2024

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Bryce Young has been relegated to the Panthers bench for the foreseeable future. Dave Canales announced on Monday afternoon that Andy Dalton will take the reins of the Panthers' offense, and Young will now get a front row seat to watch a 13-year veteran run a scheme that was originally brought to Charlotte to save the career of the sophomore quarterback.

However, the news apparently caught Young by surprise. The embattled second-year signal caller was blindsided by his benching, and there is no telling what that may do to his relationship with Canales and the Panthers franchise as a whole. At this point anything is on the table for the future of Bryce Young, including a trade away from the franchise that mortgaged their future to select him at the top of the NFL draft just 17 months ago. Here are three teams who could be interested in the services of 2023's number one overall pick.

Miami Dolphins

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No team in the NFL has a bigger need at the quarterback position that the Miami Dolphins. Following Tua Tagovailoa's terrifying concussion on week two of Thursday Night Football, the Dolphins have a Super Bowl caliber roster with an unproven quarterback directing the ship. Skylar Thompson has been given many a chance to prove himself in Miami, but the young quarterback has only thrown two touchdown passes in nine games of NFL action.

Bryce Young would be an upgrade over Thompson, and he would be the perfect understudy for Tagovailoa (assuming he returns to NFL action). Tua, an Alabama product like Young, has developed into a Pro Bowl-level quarterback without the elite physical traits that the Josh Allens and Patrick Mahomes of the world posses. His quick-release, quarterbacking in structure archetype is a replicable one for Young, and the Dolphins mastermind head coach Mike McDaniel could do wonders in rebuilding the fractured confidence of the Panthers benched quarterback. It's the perfect bounce back scenario for Young after things failed to work out in Charlotte.

Las Vegas Raiders

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The Raiders have been in the same quarterback morass that has the Panthers stuck since Vegas traded Derek Carr to New Orleans. Gardner Minshew and Aidan O'Connell engaged in a training camp pillow fight, with the NFL's most interesting man coming out the winner. Minshew led the upstart Raiders to a week two victory in Baltimore, but it's only a matter of time before the veteran quarterback turns back into a pumpkin like he has every autumn.

Enter Bryce Young. Young would bring a pedigree to Las Vegas that the franchise hasn't seen in some time. If Antonio Pierce and his staff believe they have the goods to revive Bryce Young's talent, now is the perfect time to buy-low on the former number one overall pick. Vegas has a ready-made situation for a young quarterback with an elite stable of skill position players led by All-Pro receiver Davante Adams and rookie tight end record-setter Brock Bowers.

Los Angeles Rams

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A former number one overall pick flames out with the Carolina Panthers only to get traded to the Los Angeles Rams to begin the revival his once promising career. Seen that movie before?

Baker Mayfield was dealt to the Rams in 2022 after a disappointing season and a half in Charlotte, and it has been a rocket ship to the top of NFL quarterback rankings for Mayfield from there. The Rams quarterback room behind oft-injured veteran Matthew Stafford is shallow, and a quarterback like Young is the type of project offensive guru Sean McVay dreams about. The Rams offensive system is an ideal setting for Young to rebuild his value, and he'd be a solid young talent to back up Stafford.

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Examining QBs around the NFL that the Panthers could target in a trade