Panthers News: Scott Fitterer, Bryce Young, power rankings and too many cooks
By Dean Jones
Which Carolina Panthers news stories are hitting the headlines as speculation continues to mount about the franchise making another big trade?
There is a hint of desperation surrounding the Carolina Panthers just four games into the 2023 season. Frank Reich's men sit at 0-4 with some horrible road clashes upcoming before the bye week, so fans are growing restless and this is reportedly leading to some frantic phone calls from the front office, which we'll discuss in greater depth later.
It could be an interesting few days ahead. Until then, the stories causing debate include Scott Fitterer's quest, too many cooks in Carolina's decision-making process, where the Panthers sit in ESPN's weekly power rankings, and Bryce Young's struggles getting some context.
Let's delve into each topic in more detail.
Carolina Panthers QB Bryce Young's struggles in context
It's not been easy for rookie quarterback Bryce Young to begin his NFL career. The personnel around the No. 1 overall selection isn't up to the required standard and the less said about head coach Frank Reich's offensive philosophy, the better through four games.
Something needs to be done and might be before they travel to the Detroit Lions in Week 5. But from the outside looking in, there appears to be a real lack of confidence in the signal-caller to make shots downfield from Reich's perspective, which wasn't the case when veteran backup Andy Dalton was under center at the Seattle Seahawks.
This was a topic brought up by Brianna Williams of ESPN, who highlighted Young's lack of losing experience in college and his yards per pass attempt, which is unsurprisingly among the league's worst after four weeks.
"[Bryce] Young lost four games in his two seasons as the Alabama Crimson Tide's starting quarterback. The Panthers have matched that mark through their first four games of the season. His average of 4.9 yards per pass attempt this season, is above only Joe Burrow (4.8) as the league's only two quarterbacks to average fewer than five yards per pass attempt this season."
- Brianna Williams, ESPN
The Panthers still believe in Young, why wouldn't they? He's grown with every passing week, but it does look like those in power are about to do something desperate in some vain attempt to salvage the wreckage that's quickly becoming their 2023 season.