Why the Panthers Could Stick With Bryce Young

Carolina's QB compares statistically to Tua Tagovailoa’s first couple of years. Plus, why Anthony Richardson will have to win the starting job in the offseason and more in Albert Breer’s mailbag.

Young was not traded at the deadline, making it likely that he'll be back to compete for the starting job in 2025. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

It’s Wednesday. The NFL trade deadline has passed, and the mailbag is here. Let’s dive in …

From Josh Frie (@freisenberg89): Is there a legitimate chance Carolina sticks with Bryce Young after this season if he continues to show improvement?

Josh, sure there is. I don’t think it’s likely that Young is the quarterback for the next five years. But the Carolina Panthers invested a lot in Young, and his contract isn’t backbreaking, and the coming draft class looks shaky at the position, so there is a pretty realistic scenario where the best thing for the Panthers to do is at least give him a shot to win back his job in 2025.

The comp here could be Tua Tagovailoa. Here’s a look at where Young is now versus where Tagovailoa was statistically going into 2022, with Mike McDaniel coming aboard as his new coach, and a benching (or three) already on his resume …

• Tagovailoa: 21 starts, 449-of-678 (66.2%), 4,467 yards, 27 TDs, 15 INTs, 88.8 rating.

• Young: 20 starts, 392-of-655 (59.8%), 3,571 yards, 14 TDs, 16 INTs, 71.6 rating.

Tagovailoa did more over his first two years than Young has done thus far to make the case that he should remain the team’s quarterback. That’s why I think if you presume the Panthers don’t take another big swing at a quarterback in 2025, the likelihood would be they bring in competition, and see where it goes. That would be the sensible way to handle the position, while still giving yourself a chance to cash in on the investment made in Young.

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From Obed Gonzalez (@ObedinHouston): Why do you think the Houston Texans didn’t make moves at the trade deadline? They needed OL and receiver help.

Do they, though?

Obed, I’m not sure there was help out there for Houston that would’ve provided better answers than the ones they already have on the roster.

The issue along the offensive line is inside, where they had pricey veteran Shaq Mason and 2022 first-round pick Kenyon Green at guard, and '23 second-rounder Juice Scruggs at center. They invested a lot, and it hasn’t been nearly good enough this year. Now, Green is hurt, and Kendrick Green, a '21 third-rounder who’s started 18 games in his spot, is playing. Would, say, Larry Borom have been worth acquiring? Maybe. Or maybe the line just needs to be more consistent. Shaky as that group has been, I don’t think talent is the problem.

At receiver, it may take time to work things out. But Nico Collins has a shot to return this week, Tank Dell’s a really good No. 2, and the Texans have a nice mix of young (John Metchie III, Xavier Hutchinson) and old (Robert Woods) to fill in the blanks, plus an emerging young tight end in Cade Stover to pair with Dalton Schultz and give Houston more flexibility to play out of two tight end sets. So I don’t think overextending to get, say, Darius Slayton, would’ve made the Texans markedly more prepared for a run to and through the playoffs.

So, I do think Houston has enough answers internally.

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From Kim (@jessthebest077): Albert, do you believe Richardson will be on the Colts next year?

Kim, this is similar to the Young question, only with way less evidence, one way or the other, on whether Anthony Richardson can be the answer. Making it even more difficult for the Indianapolis Colts is that they don’t have the big-picture talent issues on offense, or the organization tumult, like the Panthers. So you can’t really hang this on that or coach Shane Steichen with his record of developing and maximizing quarterbacks.

So I feel like it’s very unlikely the Colts go into the 2025 offseason with Richardson as their starter, and I think his chances to win the job from there will likely ride on what level of quarterback they bring in to either compete with or replace him.

Again, it’s not over for Richardson. But he’s not on scholarship anymore.

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Wilson gives the Steelers what looks like a legitimate solution at quarterback. / Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

From Yinzer (@Yiinzer1): How does the league view the Steelers at 6–2 versus other teams such as the Ravens, Commanders or even Texans? In 2020, the Steelers started 11–0 and no one believed they were true contenders.

Yinzer, the league views Mike Tomlin’s bunch as one with a dominant defense, and an offense that still has a ton of questions to answer. That said, you don’t have to squint too hard to conjure some answers to those questions. Quarterback may not be fully solved, but Russell Wilson’s play gives the Pittsburgh Steelers what looks like two legitimate solutions at the position. And while the offensive line still isn’t perfect, they are relying on highly drafted young guys such as Zach Frazier and Broderick Jones, who should continue to improve.

So there’s that, and the aggression that GM Omar Khan showed in acquiring Mike Williams and Preston Smith before the deadline. The former should be motivated, and give Wilson another big-bodied target to take the pressure off George Pickens. The latter can play together with T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith on passing downs, and be an insurance policy to make sure a team strength stays a strength if there’s an injury.

Overall, I think, and NFL folks think, this is probably the Steelers team most capable of advancing in the playoffs in a while.

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From Mmmm (@godscousinmatt): Does Chris Grier survive this season? He’s been given longer than most other GMs. He has very little success to cling to.  Being a Bill Parcells disciple can only take you so far.

Mmmm, I don’t see a change there at this point. The Dolphins’ roster is still solid, Grier works really well with McDaniel, and I don’t think you can blame those guys for the Tua circumstance (though the contract decision is separate from that).

They made the playoffs last year. They’ve lost to two really good teams the past few weeks. Take a deep breath. They’re going to be O.K., if Tagovailoa can stay healthy.

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From Corey Bohler (@CoreyBohler): Any shot the Bears jettison Eberflus and Waldron before the end of the season?

Corey, I’d be surprised because I don’t think that’s how the McCaskeys operate.

Matt Eberflus has done a lot of good things the past three-plus years. I think if you look at Caleb Williams’s play—last week against Arizona notwithstanding—you have to give Shane Waldron and the offensive coaches some credit.

On the flip side, I’m not saying changes couldn’t come after the season, and there’s clearly a critical stretch ahead for the team. To lose the way the Chicago Bears did in Washington, have all the noise they did during the week, and then come back and lay an egg in Arizona puts a lot of folks on the spot. And now they will host the lowly Patriots, a get-right opponent for the Bears. Seems pretty important that they, yup, get right this week.

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From Craig Evans (@CraigEvans06): Do the Browns move on from Ken Dorsey soon? Seems like Stefanski’s friend, Klint Kubiak, will be available after the season.

Craig, not impossible—it’s smart of you to raise Kubiak’s potential availability.

That said, in some ways, doing that would be rolling the clock back. Kevin Stefanski’s logic in hiring Ken Dorsey was to inject new ideas into the Cleveland Browns offense. The model, I’d say, was the Baltimore Ravens, and how John Harbaugh pushed evolution in moving from Marty Mornhinweg to Greg Roman to Todd Moken over Lamar Jackson’s seven years. I think we’ve seen some flashes of where Dorsey and Stefanski can take it together.

And you saw it, after the team lost legendary line coach Bill Callahan, and through a rash of offensive line injuries, the off-loading of Amari Cooper, and, of course, while enduring problems at quarterback. So I’m not sure I’d go into fire-everyone mode quite yet.

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The Cardinals are a real contender with Murray at quarterback. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

From Nikolai (@mothernachure): What’s the pulse on the NFC West? Everyone wants to wait for L.A. and San Francisco to get their guys back, but Arizona has been doing it without their guys. Can the Cardinals hang on?

Nikolai, the San Francisco 49ers are interesting because of their experience and talent, and getting Christian McCaffrey back, assuming he gets healthy, is obviously huge. They still have the best roster, and a staff and crew of players full of playoff experience. The Los Angeles Rams have the best quarterback and, like the Niners, one of the NFL’s best head coaches, plus a young defense that seems to be getting better by the week (injuries are lingering on offense).

So with that established, I’d probably pick the Niners to win the division right now, but see the Cardinals as a real contender. Kyler Murray’s playing great, offensive coordinator Drew Petzing is a star in the making, the team is solid on the lines of scrimmage, and rookies Marvin Harrison Jr. and Max Melton should keep improving.

Jonathan Gannon and Monti Ossenfort are doing a bang up job building that team.

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From ASB1216 (@ASB1216): For those who didn’t fill a need via trade, are there free agents who were recently released or are still available from the offseason that could sign with a team for the stretch run?

There are a few experienced players out there such as tackles D.J. Humphries, Charles Leno Jr., Donovan Smith and David Bakhtiari, who are older and beat up, but could be a solution for someone in a pinch. Defensively, Patrick Peterson and Marcus Peters might be able to help someone at corner, and Frank Clark could help as an edge.

I’d think with any of these guys, you’d be rolling the dice more than anything else.

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From Jeff Duffy (@jeffdduffy): When it comes to player safety, shouldn’t the players do their part as well? I see mouthpieces hanging out, and not many cover their knees...these are penalties in high school for player safety. Mouth pieces do play a role in concussion prevention, and knee pads can only help.

Jeff, so this is an old argument that I might not be able to add much to. Guys leave mouthpieces out, or play without kneepads often because they feel faster or more comfortable without them. And, yes, the risks they assume in those cases are their own.

I suppose you could penalize guys on mouthpieces—players are required to wear them by rule, but it has to be one of the most loosely regulated rules.

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From erickleinphd (@DrEricKlein): If Woody Johnson is selected again by President Trump to be the Ambassador to England, how might that impact the potential hiring of a new coach and general manager for the Jets? Would Woody still want to make those hires, or would he defer to his brother, Christopher Johnson?

Eric, I think Woody will have a say in it either way. When Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas were hired, they were warned about Johnson, and that he’d eventually be the one making the decisions on their respective futures after they were hired by Christopher.

My guess is Woody would leave less to chance this time around. At the very least, he’ll be a factor in how attractive the job is to candidates, whether he’s here or in the U.K.