Analyst urges drastic action if Carolina Panthers QB Bryce Young's slump continues

Bryce Young's second NFL season started with a whimper. The quarterback went through significant hardship once again as the Carolina Panthers suffered a heavy loss at the New Orleans Saints. Any optimism among the fanbase that things would take a dramatic surge forward disintegrated in the first half. There is a long road ahead before this perennial struggler emerges from rock bottom.

Young wasn't the only one with blood on their hands. The Panthers' defense was abysmal and Dave Canales was outcoached by Dennis Allen. But as is typically the case, the man under center carries the can.

All hope is not lost with Young just yet. However, this was the worst possible opening to what many expected to be a much-improved Year 2 of his professional career.

There's a lot of football left and plenty of time for Young to change his concerning narrative. His doubters are waiting with bated breath to stick the boot in further. That should be motivation enough to put in the hard work needed and adjust accordingly.

Analyst believes Carolina Panthers must bench Bryce Young if same trend continues

Some believe the Panthers should take more drastic action if the same trend continues in the coming weeks. Dominique Foxworth of ESPN stated on his recent podcast that Carolina might want to consider taking Young out of the firing line to avoid his confidence going past the point of no return, leaving veteran backup Andy Dalton to pick up the slack until this team gets better.

"There’s a difference between when you completely give up on him or when you bench him. I think that if things don’t get better, benching him is the best thing for him and for this team and I guess you go with Andy Dalton. He was a professional starter in this league at one point. Like, he’s a Joe Flacco-level quarterback. I don’t think that you’re setting yourself up to be successful but at least you don’t put Bryce Young out there to get further pummeled and have his confidence completely destroyed."

- Doninuque Foxworth via SI

That's a little drastic after one game. Young has a new play-caller and a plethora of fresh weapons to develop chemistry with. His performance wasn't as bad as the bare statistics suggested. One could point the finger more at Canales for not scheming things effectively enough during his regular-season debut as an NFL head coach.

If Young continues to struggle and another Panthers season spirals into oblivion, it's a different story. Until then, he's the guy. Carolina invested too much in the former Alabama star to give up on him now. That's the long and short of it.

We've seen this countless times throughout NFL history. A highly touted college prospect gets put in a toxic environment and sees his confidence shaken beyond recognition. They end up bouncing around the league and, in some cases, get cast aside entirely.

That's a long way off for Young currently. The Panthers remain confident that the Heisman Trophy winner has the skills needed to take this franchise where it wants to go. What's important for Canales is finding ways to get his signal-caller into a rhythm behind an offensive line that looked much improved versus the Saints.

Benching Young is not an option. This was David Tepper's guy - the man chosen over C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson from atop the 2023 NFL Draft. His development was significantly mismanaged last time around. He needs a fair shake and a full campaign so Canales and general manager Dan Morgan can get a genuine evaluation of his credentials.

This is just another obstacle for Young to overcome. There have been more of them than he'd like, but that does not detract from the need to bounce back at the earliest possible chance.

Otherwise, the calls to demote him will be deafening.

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