5 Carolina Panthers who could be benched next after Bryce Young fiasco
By Dean Jones
Shy Tuttle - Carolina Panthers DL
Watching Shy Tuttle get bullied at the line of scrimmage in a position he's not suited to is baffling and embarrassing in equal measure. How many times must the defensive lineman fall flat before the Carolina Panthers realize he is not a nose tackle? It's beyond a joke at this point.
Want further proof? Tuttle is one of the league's lowest-graded interior defenders according to Pro Football Focus through two weeks. His current mark stands at 36.2. More importantly, this comes across almost constantly on tape.
This is a coaching and personnel evaluation problem more than anything else. The Panthers had countless opportunities to find a genuine anchor for Ejiro Evero's 3-4 defensive front in the offseason in free agency and the 2024 NFL Draft but didn't. Without the presence of Pro Bowl performer Derrick Brown alongside him, Tuttle is getting more exposed than ever.
Things have to change at some point. Tuttle is currently dealing with a foot injury suffered in Week 2 against the Los Angeles Chargers. Regardless of whether this keeps him out or not, his status as a starter - especially at the nose - is hanging precariously.
Troy Hill - Carolina Panthers CB
Troy Hill was more than worthy of receiving a contract extension from the Panthers this offseason. The slot cornerback played well in difficult circumstances upon reuniting with Ejiro Evero in 2023. Unfortunately, that same form hasn't been evident through two weeks of the current campaign.
Hill's snaps have gone down slightly to 44 percent, with good reason. The defensive back looks a yard off the pace both in coverage and run support. That's not going to cut it for much longer no matter how much trust Evero has in the player.
The Panthers liked what they saw from rookie Chau Smith-Wade over the summer. Throwing him into this sort of pressure cooker comes with risk attached. But if the Panthers are truly in a developing or assessment season with this ragtag group, they might as well throw him into the fire and see how he fares.
That would come at the expense of Hill, who's at the tail-end of his career and might not have much left to give. It sounds harsh, but the time for emotional attachment with anybody is long gone.