2 winners (and 3 losers) from the Carolina Panthers benching Bryce Young

Winner No. 2

Xavier Legette - Carolina Panthers WR

The Carolina Panthers keyed in on Xavier Legette relatively early in their pre-draft process. Those in power thought the physically imposing wide receiver had the unique gifts this offense sorely needed. Dan Morgan didn't want to lose his guy, trading up one spot to No. 32 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft to guarantee his services and get the fifth-year option along the way.

It's been an anonymous start to the campaign for Legette. The South Carolina product was left without a target in Week 2 against the Los Angeles Chargers. He's got four receptions in two games for 35 receiving yards and played just 30 percent of the team's offensive snaps. With Bryce Young going to the bench, it would be a surprise if the explosive presence didn't get more involved.

Legette spent most of the offseason - when he wasn't in the treatment room dealing with injuries - with the second-string unit. That's where Andy Dalton was manning the plate, so they should have a good understanding of one another heading into the signal-caller's first start of the campaign.

It's early in Legette's career, so patience is needed despite Carolina's current plight. But head coach Dave Canales doesn't have much to lose by throwing the rookie into the fire and seeing how he fares.

Loser No. 3

Carolina Panthers fans

As always with this godforsaken team, the fans seem to be on the losing end as well.

There aren't many fanbases around the league that suffered more embarrassment than the Panthers in recent years. It's been a rapid decline into the NFL's laughingstock since their memorable run to the Super Bowl in 2015. That seems like decades ago considering everything that's happened since, especially once David Tepper bought the organization from Jerry Richardson.

Fans are turning away in their droves. Bank of America Stadium was full of opposing supporters once again for their home opener against the Los Angeles Chargers. This early stage of the campaign should be about hope and expectation. That's not the case in Carolina.

Benching Bryce Young is another glaring indicator of how long this will take to get better. Dan Morgan's comments about this project being a retool rather than a rebuild were wide of the mark. Fans aren't stupid. They see this situation for what it is. After a constant stream of failed moves and nothing seemingly improving under the new regime, the fanbase is angry and disillusioned in equal measure.

There will be more orange than blue in the stands for Carolina's next home game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Winning cures all, but the Panthers seem incapable of that just two games into Dave Canales' tenure.

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