What does the old Nationwide Insurance commercial say? “Life comes at you fast.”
Indeed it does.
Just ask Bryce Young, the quarterback once heralded as the savior of the Carolina Panthers. Sunday afternoon, despite another poor outing from the 2023 No. 1 pick, Panthers coach Dave Canales pledged loyalty to Young. Less than 24 hours later, Canales announced he had decided to bench Young in favor of 14-year NFL veteran Andy Dalton.
“Bryce is our quarterback” quickly changed to “Andy gives us the best chance to win,” as Canales desperately seeks to stop the bleeding after the 0-2 Panthers got outscored 73-13 in the season’s first two games.
Young endured a tumultuous rookie season and is already playing for his third head coach in 17 months. His rookie performance struggles have carried over into Year 2. In his 2024 starts, he has completed only 55.4 percent of his passes for 245 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions.
Young’s benching just two games into yet another Panthers rebuilding season raises a whole slew of questions about the wisdom and foresight of Carolina’s brass. Young’s rapid fall from grace also serves as another example of the impatience and impulsiveness that far too often governs (and muddles) quarterback decisions across the NFL.
Another once-promising prospect is at risk of ruin. Another franchise remains stuck in purgatory. As a familiar storyline plays out, and as other young quarterbacks stumble out of the gate this season, it feels like the NFL has a quarterback development crisis on its hands.
A national champion and Heisman Trophy winner at Alabama, Young seemed destined for NFL stardom. His diminutive stature (5-foot-10, 204 pounds) did cause pause for some talent evaluators. But many also believed the accuracy, poise, athleticism, tireless work ethic, exceptional football IQ, keen instincts and competitive fire that Young displayed in college would more than help him compensate for a lack of size.
Instead, Young hasn’t even sniffed proficiency.
Does he deserve blame for some of his shortcomings? Sure. But Young was destined to fail during a rookie season with a franchise and coaching staff plagued by dysfunction. He wound up going 2-14 while throwing 11 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions. C.J. Stroud, taken by the Texans one pick after Young, went on to win Offensive Rookie of the Year.
It’s highly unlikely, however, that Stroud would have had the same kind of 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. Far too many cooks in the kitchen among hands-on owner David Tepper, coach Frank Reich (who lasted only 11 games), offensive coordinator Thomas Brown, senior offensive assistant Jim Caldwell, quarterbacks coach Josh McCown and assistant head coach Duce Staley.
2. So many roster holes. Few (if any) quarterbacks could succeed with such a shaky supporting cast.
Canales was supposed to help Young reset, similar to how as an assistant he helped Geno Smith in Seattle and Baker Mayfield in Tampa Bay revive their careers. But he already made one confusing decision by holding Young out of the first two preseason games rather than give him game reps to help his growth, and now this.
Will time as an observer help Young better understand NFL quarterbacking? Time will tell.
We do know that benching Young, who has been sacked 68 times in 18 career games, will not fix the Panthers’ other talent deficiencies on offense. Yes, some oft-sacked quarterbacks deserve blame for holding onto the ball too long. But Carolina’s offensive line is not very good.
A switch from Young to Dalton will not suddenly help improve the tackling of a defense that has surrendered a league-high 36.5 points per game. But the Panthers, like so many teams before them, seem to think that a quality quarterback can mask a host of deficiencies. Yes, a great quarterback can elevate a team, but not even Patrick Mahomes could cure all of Carolina’s ills.
We don’t know how Young’s story will play out, but based on his handling last season and Monday’s surprise decision, the Panthers have committed quarterback malpractice.
And they’re not alone. Just look at the 2021 NFL Draft class. No. 1 pick Trevor Lawrence remains with the Jaguars, but fellow first-round quarterbacks Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Justin Fields and Mac Jones have all moved on from the teams that drafted them.
Development-wise, Young didn’t look ready last season, and he looks no closer to ready this year. Carolina in 2023 committed the all-too-familiar transgression of drafting a prized quarterback and throwing him to the wolves before he was ready to execute at a high level and before the roster around him was strong enough to help compensate for his deficiencies. This season’s Panthers roster remains riddled with holes. Young’s struggles, coupled with Canales’ decision to bench him so quickly, suggests the kid should have never opened this season as the starter.
Many teams feel pressure to anoint a star quarterback the starter from Day 1, even though these prospects remain raw and their new teams have the shakiest of foundations. It defies logic. You wouldn’t hand a teenager with his learner’s permit the keys to a sloppy jalopy and expect him to safely navigate an interstate. So why expect miracles from a first-year pro quarterback?
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There certainly are instances when a rookie quarterback doesn’t help himself. Maybe he’s not studying as much as he should. Maybe he’s repeating the same mistakes. Many times when a quarterback experiment goes south, the whispers about poor work ethic and discipline surface. But if a young quarterback isn’t carrying himself like the ultimate pro, and if he’s not exhibiting the growth, discipline and dedication necessary to hold onto a starting job, don’t give him that nod to begin with. Make him earn it.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with telling a quarterback he’s not ready. But do that from the start instead of ignoring all of the red flags and justifying a decision to start him because of the premium pick used to acquire him.
Indecisiveness and impatience does no one any favors. A team with a young quarterback has two choices:
• Commit to developing him on the fly and living with the fact that things will get ugly before they improve. Remember: The great Peyton Manning led the NFL in interceptions (28) and won only three games as a rookie. Troy Aikman went 0-11 as a rookie before going on to win three Super Bowls.
• Or, play the long game. Redshirt and develop the quarterback while fortifying the roster he will eventually inherit, and THEN start him once growth is evident.
Far too many NFL coaches struggle to embrace conservative approaches for 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 comes as a byproduct of the run. But instead of going with a run-first mentality to both lighten the load and put a defense on its heels to buy a quarterback more time, play-callers have young, underdeveloped quarterbacks dropping back 30 and 40 times a game. That’s when the crippling mistakes come.
Passing on early downs (and the incompletions that follow) leads to third-and-long situations, which forces a quarterback to hold onto 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 doesn’t have a clue that he’s being set up by a disguised coverage. He’s throwing these interceptions with conviction — riffling the ball downfield without hesitation … only for a defensive back to swoop in and pluck it out of the air.
Eventually, young, error-prone quarterbacks get cussed out for a bad decision or get the hook. In truth, they never should have been in those situations in the first place.
Broncos coach Sean Payton has had rookie Bo Nix drop back 77 times, third most in the league. That has set Nix up to make some perplexing decisions en route to a league-high four interceptions (tied with the Colts’ Anthony Richardson) and an atrocious 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 promptly get rid of the ball. Meanwhile, Titans second-year pro Will Levis has committed some fatal mistakes while looking like a quarterback who would greatly benefit from a year or two as a backup.
Why can’t coaches recognize how their ultra-aggressive tactics are handicapping their quarterbacks? We have plenty of examples of how effective a quarterback even of average skill set can be when his play-caller is committed to supporting him with a balanced game plan.
Take Sunday in Green Bay, where Matt LaFleur positioned the much-maligned 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 executed 21 additional run plays (six for Willis) and finished with 261 rushing yards. Meanwhile, Willis was asked to throw the ball just 14 times. He completed 12 passes for 122 yards, a touchdown, no interception and a passer rating of 126.8.
Contrast that with the workload and ineffectiveness of Richardson, his game-day counterpart. The second-year pro, making only his sixth career start, dropped back 34 times and completed only 17 passes for 204 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions. It wasn’t the most dazzlingly entertaining performance, but Willis helped the Packers win 16-10. Give me ultra-conservative and a victory over three confidence-bruising interceptions and a loss any day.
Maybe the NFL needs an application process where quarterback-needy teams have to lay out a clear and effective plan for developing a prized prospect to gain approval to draft him. I kid. But now more than ever — when quarterbacks spend less time in college and come into the NFL more raw than ever — NFL decision-makers need to exercise more patience when developing and managing young quarterbacks.
The impulsive and impatient approaches are killing careers and dooming franchises to continued years of floundering. When that happens, heads roll — and rightfully so.
(Top photo: Chris Graythen / Getty Images)
