The Panthers’ rush to start Bryce Young is an example of quarterback malpractice that is all too common in the NFL
What does the old Nationwide Insurance commercial say? “Life comes at you fast.”
That is indeed the case.
Just ask Bryce Young, the quarterback once heralded as the savior of the Carolina Panthers. On Sunday afternoon, despite another poor showing from the 2023 No. 1 overall pick, Panthers coach Dave Canales pledged his loyalty to Young. Less than 24 hours later, Canales announced that he had decided to bench Young in favor of 14-year NFL veteran Andy Dalton.
“Bryce is our quarterback” quickly turned into “Andy gives us the best chance to win,” as Canales desperately tries to stem the bleeding after the Panthers (0-2) were outscored 73-13 in the first two games of the season.
Young endured a tumultuous rookie season and is playing for his third head coach in 17 months. His struggles with his rookie performance have carried over into Year 2. In his starts in 2024, he has completed just 55.4 percent of his passes for 245 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions.
That Young is sitting on the bench just two games into the Panthers’ rebuilding season raises a host of questions about the wisdom and foresight of Carolina’s executives. Young’s rapid fall from grace also serves as another example of the impatience and impulsiveness that too often defines (and clouds) quarterback decisions in the NFL.
Another once-promising prospect is in danger of being ruined. Another franchise is stuck in purgatory. As a familiar story unfolds and other young quarterbacks stumble out of the starting blocks this season, it feels like the NFL has a quarterback development crisis on its hands.
GALLING DEEPER
Is Bryce Young being benched the beginning of the end for last year’s No. 1 pick?
A national champion and Heisman Trophy winner at Alabama, Young seemed destined for NFL stardom. His diminutive stature (5’10”, 205 pounds) gave some talent evaluators pause. But many believed that the accuracy, balance, athleticism, tireless work ethic, exceptional football IQ, sharp instincts and competitive fire Young displayed in college would more than make up for his lack of size.
On the contrary, Young has not even noticed that he is skilled.
Does he deserve blame for some of his shortcomings? Certainly. But Young was destined to fail during a rookie season with a franchise and coaching staff plagued by dysfunction. He finished 2-14 while throwing 11 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions. C.J. Stroud, who the Texans selected one pick after Young, won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
However, it is highly unlikely that Stroud would have had the same success in Carolina as he did with Houston, which went 10-7 and advanced to the divisional round of the playoffs under new coach DeMeco Ryans. In Carolina, there were:
1. There are way too many cooks in the kitchen, including owner David Tepper, coach Frank Reich (who only lasted 11 games), offensive coordinator Thomas Brown, senior offensive assistant Jim Caldwell, quarterbacks coach Josh McCown and assistant head coach Duce Staley.
2. So many holes in the roster. Few (if any) quarterbacks could be successful with such a shaky supporting cast.
Canales was supposed to help reset Young, similar to how he helped Geno Smith in Seattle and Baker Mayfield in Tampa Bay revive their careers as an assistant. But he’s already made a confusing decision by holding Young out of the first two preseason games instead of giving him game practice to help him grow, and now this.
Panthers coach Dave Canales will start Andy Dalton (right) in Sunday’s game against the Raiders. (Stephen Lew/Imagn Images)
Will time as an observer help Young better understand NFL quarterbacking? Only time will tell.
We do know that benching Young, who has 68 sacks in 18 games in his career, won’t solve the Panthers’ other talent gaps on offense. Yes, some of the sack-prone quarterbacks deserve blame for holding on to the ball too long. But Carolina’s offensive line isn’t very good.
A move from Young to Dalton won’t suddenly improve the tackling of a defense that has allowed a league-high 36.5 points per game. But the Panthers, like so many teams before them, seem to think that a good quarterback can mask a lot of their shortcomings. Yes, a great quarterback can elevate a team, but even Patrick Mahomes couldn’t cure all of Carolina’s ills.
We don’t know how Young’s story will end, but based on his behavior last season and Monday’s surprising decision, the Panthers are guilty of quarterback malpractice.
And they’re not alone. Just look at the 2021 NFL Draft class. No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence remains with the Jaguars, but fellow first-round quarterbacks Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Justin Fields and Mac Jones have all left the teams that drafted them.
Developmentally, Young didn’t seem ready last season, and he doesn’t seem ready this year. Carolina committed the all-too-familiar 2023 transgression of drafting a highly-valued quarterback and throwing him to the wolves before he was ready to perform at a high level and before the roster around him was strong enough to compensate for his shortcomings. The Panthers’ roster this season is still full of holes. Young’s struggles, combined with Canales’ decision to bench him so quickly, suggest the kid should never have been a starter this season.
Many teams feel pressured to make a star quarterback a starter on Day 1, even though those prospects are inexperienced and their new teams have the shakiest of foundations. It defies logic. You wouldn’t hand a teenage kid with a learner’s permit the keys to a junky junker and expect him to navigate the highway safely. So why expect miracles from a first-year pro quarterback?
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There are certainly instances where a rookie quarterback doesn’t help himself. Maybe he doesn’t study as much as he should. Maybe he repeats the same mistakes. Often when a quarterback experiment fails, rumors of poor work ethic and discipline surface. But if a young quarterback isn’t acting like the ultimate pro, if he’s not showing the growth, discipline, and dedication necessary to hold down a starting position, don’t give him the nod right away. Make him earn it.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with telling a quarterback that he is not ready. But do that from the beginning instead of ignoring all the red flags and justifying a decision to start him because of the premium pick used to acquire him.
Indecision and impatience do no one any favors. A team with a young quarterback has two choices:
• Commit to developing him on the fly and live with the fact that things will get ugly before they get better. Remember: The great Peyton Manning led the NFL in interceptions (28) and won just three games as a rookie. Troy Aikman went 0-11 as a rookie before winning three Super Bowls.
• Or play the long game. Redshirt and develop the quarterback while bolstering the roster he will eventually inherit, then THEN start him once growth is evident.
Far too many NFL coaches struggle to take a conservative approach with their young quarterbacks.
It’s well documented that a young passer’s best friend is a strong rushing game and the play-action passing attack that is a byproduct of the run. But instead of adopting a run-first mentality to both lighten the load and put defenses on their heels to buy a quarterback more time, play-callers are dropping young, underdeveloped quarterbacks 30 and 40 times a game. That’s when the crippling mistakes come.
Passing up early downs (and the incompletions that follow) creates third-and-long situations, forcing a quarterback to hold the ball longer while plays develop. That puts more pressure on an offensive line (which may or may not be very good) and makes the quarterback an easy target for sacks.
Most young quarterbacks also lack the initial understanding of defenses necessary to thrive. On many of Young’s interceptions, it’s clear he’s either not seeing defenders or has no idea he’s being set up by disguised coverage. He throws these interceptions with conviction – he throws the ball downfield without hesitation … only to have it picked up by a defensive back who plucks it out of the air.
Ultimately, young, mistake-prone quarterbacks get called out for a bad decision or get the hook, when in reality, they should never have been put in those situations in the first place.
Broncos coach Sean Payton has allowed rookie Bo Nix to throw 77 interceptions, third-most in the league. That’s prompted Nix to make some confusing decisions en route to a league-high four interceptions (tied with the Colts’ Anthony Richardson) and an abysmal 51.0 passer rating. Bears 2024 No. 1 pick Caleb Williams, overwhelmed by a heavy passing load and the speed of the NFL game, has struggled to get the ball out quickly. Meanwhile, Titans second-year pro Will Levis has made some fatal errors while looking like a quarterback who would benefit greatly from a year or two as a backup.
Why can’t coaches recognize how their ultra-aggressive tactics are hindering their quarterbacks? We have plenty of examples of how effective a quarterback, even one of average skill, can be when his play-caller is dedicated to supporting him with a balanced game plan.
Take Sunday in Green Bay, where Matt LaFleur positioned the much-hyped Malik Willis for success just three weeks after he was traded to the Packers. LaFleur fed running back Josh Jacobs 32 times, and Jacobs finished with 151 rushing yards. The Packers ran 21 more run plays (six for Willis) and finished with 261 rushing yards. Meanwhile, Willis was called upon to throw the ball just 14 times. He completed 12 passes for 122 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions and a 126.8 passer rating.
Contrast that with the workload and ineffectiveness of Richardson, his game-day counterpart. The second-year pro, making just his sixth career start, dropped 34 times and completed just 17 passes for 204 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions. It wasn’t the most eye-poppingly entertaining performance, but Willis helped the Packers win 16-10. Give me an ultra-conservative and a win over three confidence-sapping interceptions and a loss.
Maybe the NFL needs an application process where teams in need of a quarterback must create a clear and effective plan for developing a prized prospect in order to be approved to draft him. I’m kidding. But now more than ever — with quarterbacks spending less time in college and entering the NFL more inexperienced than ever — NFL decision-makers need to be more patient in developing and managing young quarterbacks.
The impulsive and impatient approaches destroy careers and condemn franchises to years of relentless toil. When that happens, heads roll — and rightly so.
(Top photo: Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
