The Conversation No One Wants to Have in Carolina

Carolina wants to build around Bryce Young, but what if he's not the guy?

Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

It's way too early for the Carolina Panthers to panic over Bryce Young. His rookie season was filled with chaos - a coaching staff that couldn't get on the same page, an offensive line that couldn't hold up, a receiving corps that failed to get open, and a below average run game. On top of it, he saw his head coach get fired just six games into the season.

Dave Canales was hired as the team's head coach because of the tremendous work he did with Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield over the past two years in Seattle and Tampa Bay. They believe Canales can not only get Young on track, but turn him into one of the better quarterbacks in the league down the road.

But what if he doesn't? What if this all fails? That's the conversation no one in Carolina wants to have. We've talked all offseason about how this duo of Canales and Young should work and we'll continue to talk about it in a positive light, but we at least have to consider what could happen if things go south.

Should the Panthers only win four-six games, they're going to be picking at the top of the draft once again. If Young has similar production to his rookie campaign, it will be difficult for the Panthers to ignore taking a QB in the draft and continue to trudge forward with him as their guy.

But you can't give up on him after two years, right? Personally, I don't see it happening.

Carolina gave up a fortune to go get him in last year's draft and two years, in my opinion, is not enough of a sample size. If we're being honest here, this is like a second rookie season for him with a new head coach and offensive system. 2023 was year zero, this is year one.

The best thing Young can do is elevate the play of those around him and eliminate this conversation from being had at the end of the season, regardless of the record. Just because the Panthers may end up with a top five or top ten pick in 2025 doesn't necessarily mean quarterback play was the primary issue. It could be the lack of a run game, inconsistency at wide receiver, or a defense that took a step back.

If there's one problem the Panthers can't afford to have at the end of 2024, it's Bryce Young.

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