Bryce Young is getting benched just two weeks into his second season.
The No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL draft, Young became the first quarterback in the modern era to be taken with the top pick and benched this early in his career for non-injury reasons.
Young has gone 2–16 with the Panthers since the team traded up to take him last year and has struggled to tap into the success he had in college. The quarterback led Alabama to the 2020 national title and won the Heisman Trophy a year later. This season he’s thrown no touchdowns through two games with three interceptions as the Panthers have scored just 13 points combined in two games. Veteran quarterback Andy Dalton will replace Young as the starter.
With the 23-year-old on the bench just two weeks into the NFL season, the Panthers are left with a handful of options with Young.
Keep him on the bench and see whether anything changes: Young signed a four-year, $38 million deal a year ago as the draft’s top pick. Young is a little pricey as a backup quarterback, but given the upside he showed in college, his potential helps justify it, even if he’s shown only so much of it. Sitting behind Dalton could do him some good, and if Dalton struggles or gets injured, Young might be back to starting anyway.
Carolina currently doesn’t have a third-string quarterback, according to the team’s depth chart. There have been success stories of highly touted quarterbacks finding success later than others, including current Seahawks starter Geno Smith. Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold has the team 2–0 after an unsuccessful stint with the Jets early in his career.
Trade him: Because of his team-friendly contract, Carolina could take a flier on him and see whether a change of scenery improves his situation. It would be early for the Panthers to give up on such a prized draft asset, but perhaps they could be swayed if the right deal is there. Gauging Young’s market is difficult given the lack of success early in his career, but he still has potential. Would a team overpay if it thinks Young could be fixed? And is it worth trading Young for, say, a third-round pick?
Waive him: Releasing Young this soon would be a costly one for the team both financially and PR-wise. Waiving him would cost Carolina more than $31 million in dead money, according to Over The Cap, a website dedicated to NFL player salaries. Paying a former No. 1 pick that much money this early in his career would be unprecedented, and the optics would make a bad situation somehow worse. Barring a trade, it appears Young and the Panthers are stuck with each other, for now.
