Panthers News: Donte Jackson, Austin Corbett, Bryce Young and trade talk
By Dean Jones
Carolina Panthers' confidence in Bryce Young
It's easy to forget there is a football game this weekend amid all the trade rumors. And make no mistake, it's one the Carolina Panthers must win in front of their home fans.
A new era dawns with Thomas Brown as the new play-caller against the Houston Texans, who are doing better than many anticipated during their first season under DeMeco Ryans. Of course, the national narrative is Bryce Young vs. C.J. Stroud - the top two prospects chosen in the 2023 NFL Draft.
When discussing the decision to take Young over Stroud, head coach Frank Reich didn't want to make this game about only the two signal-callers based on comments via USA Today Sports. However, he remains supremely confident in the former Alabama star as the team's long-term franchise presence.
"I thought the whole quarterback draft class was a really good class. I really enjoyed divin’ into each one of them. I thought they all were good players. If you looked at my scorecard on all of ’em, I thought they were all good players. We just thought Bryce was the best. I thought Bryce was the best. Not taking anything away from anybody else. So, we’re excited to have him. I really don’t wanna . . . we talked a lot back then about what we liked about Bryce, why we chose Bryce. So I’ll just leave it at that."
- Frank Reich via USA Today Sports
If the Panthers lose this game, it's more fuel for those who wanted Carolina to take Stroud. That alone should provide the extra urgency needed to finally pick up their first triumph of the 2023 campaign.