3 burning questions Carolina Panthers are asking ahead of Week 1 at the Saints
By Ricky Raines
Carolina Panthers' patience with Bryce Young
How many years should Bryce (Young) get before we (Panthers) move on? I wanted (C.J.) Stroud and think Young will never be a great QB. I hope I am wrong. – Keith Campbell
Ah, yes - the classic look-ahead question before we even begin. I mean no maliciousness there, Keith, but the way that I go about evaluating players and situations is typically in a much more real-time fashion. But let’s take a stab at the question anyway, as I do recognize you’re not remotely alone in having that thought scroll across your internal news ticker.
Last season was a disaster. It wasn’t just because Frank Reich and Thomas Brown seemingly coached like oil and vinegar. It wasn’t just because David Tepper and Scott Fitterer interrogated the staff like an episode of ‘The Wire’, offering up soda and reduced sentences if they snitched on the locker room.
No - Bryce Young, the offensive line, and the playmakers all underperformed in their play. But the context also shouldn’t be ignored.
If Young mirrors his production, and mistakes, of last season - there will be legitimate conversations within the organization on how much of the blame he should shoulder.
Former No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson got two seasons as a starter for the New York Jets before being relegated to a backup job, but that was also for future Pro Football Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers. Another first-round selection, Josh Rosen didn’t even get a full season as the starter after being drafted No. 10 overall by the Arizona Cardinals before their new coach, Kliff Kingsbury, drafted Kyler Murray the following offseason with the No. 1 pick.
It's not entirely out of the realm of possibilities. But they’d need to be in the running for an All-Pro signal caller looking for a change of scenery, and I don’t foresee the franchise having another new head coach after the contract Tepper doled out to Dave Canales with the understanding that this was a work in progress.
Finally, Young should show more than enough this season to remind us all as to why he was deemed worthy of his lofty draft investment. If the offensive line and the weapons can stay mostly healthy for the bulk of the season, I’m expecting a significant bounce back. And with that bounce back, the former Heisman Trophy winner will earn himself at least one more campaign as the leader of this football team.
This team doesn't have to take the division or amass double-digit wins. This team must show progression and promise, and it does lean toward the quarterback as always.
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