Panthers' latest free agency move should frustrate Bryce Young

Carolina isn't doing its QB any favors.

Dec 22, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales with quarterback Bryce Young (9) in the fourth quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young is not someone to be publicly frustrated or to ever call anyone out. He accepts 100% of the blame and deflects 100% of the credit whenever possible. He's a soft-spoken leader who would never be caught saying something negative in public.

With that said, he's only human and has private frustrations. Publicly, he handled the 2024 benching perfectly, but it's impossible to know how he felt privately. It couldn't have felt good, and neither can the Panthers' most recent free-agent move.

Panthers announce they're bringing back veteran WR David Moore on another one-year deal.
Moore, the ex-Seahawk, caught 32 passes for 351 yards and three TDs in his first season with Carolina.

— Joe Person (@josephperson) March 18, 2025

The Panthers officially found their fourth wide receiver, but it's just David Moore. Moore was a nonfactor mostly last year, only ever making plays when other receivers were out of the lineup. He's far from a bad player, but he's not someone who moves the needle at all.

And that's precisely what should frustrate Young and fans of his and the team. The Panthers admittedly had to focus a lot on defense, but they couldn't even spare a morsel of capital for Young's development.

Jan 5, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) celebrates with wide receiver David Moore (83) after a touchdown pass against the Atlanta Falcons in the third quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

They had the chance to get an impact tight end and an impact wide receiver. The draft is still an option for one or both of those. things but they have already filled out their depth chart. David Moore will be WR4 and Tommy Tremble is TE2. Why would the Panthers spend more capital on those positions? They don't exactly need a TE3 making $8 million or a WR5 who got re-signed as well.

Signing Moore, not to mention skipping on someone like Brandin Cooks or Darius Slayton, effectively means they're rolling out the 2024 offense with Rico Dowdle instead of Miles Sanders. Obviously, that offense can play, as it scored 36 and 44 against the Arizona Cardinals and Atlanta Falcons down the stretch.

But how much better could the offense be with Slayton, Emeka Egbuka, Tetairo McMillan, or someone else? How much better would Young be and how much more would he develop with a legitimate pass-catching threat that isn't a nearly-retired Adam Thielen? Young, as well as the rest of us, may never know.

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