Bryce Young benching cements Carolina Panthers' monumental draft error

The Carolina Panthers are moving forward without Bryce Young after just two games of the 2024 season. Despite head coach Dave Canales reaffirming his faith in the signal-caller following another woeful outing against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 2, the team confirmed that they are benching the No. 1 overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft in favor of veteran backup Andy Dalton.

This was an absolute bombshell in no uncertain terms. Young hasn't been playing well, but Canales' ability to help struggling quarterbacks get back on the right track is one of the primary reasons why he got the head coaching job. They're not giving up entirely, but this is a sign things aren't trending as anyone hoped.

The Panthers made a monumental investment in Young. They sacrificed a significant amount of draft capital - including the No. 1 overall pick in 2024 - and wide receiver D.J. Moore to surge up and take the former Alabama star atop the draft. It was a toxic environment where his development was mismanaged initially, but the same complications that blighted his first campaign have reared their ugly head this time around.

Carolina Panthers bench struggling quarterback Bryce Young after two games

Taking Young out of the firing line and giving him time to regain confidence and learn from the sidelines might be a smart move in the long run. However, for a player whose morale is already shattered almost beyond repair, it represents a devastating blow.

Fans were rooting for Young to succeed. The Panthers mortgaged their future on the signal-caller and haven't got anything back in return. This is bad enough, but seeing C.J. Stroud - the No. 2 pick and the reported darling of previous head coach Frank Reich - thrive with the Houston Texans, makes it even worse.

This isn't the end of the road for Young. But looking across the NFL's history of high-end draft selections who end up in this predicament, a bleak future could await. Perhaps a fresh start might be the best possible solution for the player, especially considering how almost everyone who's left the Panthers under David Tepper's ownership goes on to thrive elsewhere.

Andy Dalton has proven production. He's also someone the Panthers feel can help them win right now. That indicates Canales is under pressure from up-top to get some wins in the column before a decision on Young's long-term status is due.

Whichever way one looks at it, this is a complete mess. Young held the future of the franchise in the palm of his hand. He was given a pass for how things unfolded as a rookie with mitigating circumstances attached. But it's clear from this latest development that the leash was incredibly short.

Young looks broken. He's downtrodden and appears lost. A veteran presence coming into the starting job is the right thing to do, no matter how it could hurt the team's biggest investment in recent memory.

That won't help Young much, who's looking more and more like one of the biggest NFL Draft busts in league history.

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