ESPN analyst urges Carolina Panthers to set quarterback Bryce Young free

Bryce Young's benching has been the talk of the town this week. The Carolina Panthers felt like it was the right thing to do with confidence in the quarterback disintegrating within the locker room. That hasn't stopped most in the media from pointing the finger squarely at the franchise for the way they've handled the No. 1 overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft since joining the organization.

Young being taken out of the firing line inevitably led to speculation about his long-term future. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN stated that he didn't get the sense Carolina was going to remove him from the equation entirely just yet. But with relationships broken and trust gone from both sides, it's something to consider if the right offer comes along.

Dan Orlovsky urges the Carolina Panthers to trade Bryce Young

This was a sentiment echoed by former quarterback turned ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show. He urged the Panthers to give Young a fresh start elsewhere, citing the Los Angeles Rams as a potential destination for the Heisman Trophy winner.

"I think Bryce Young is done in Carolina. And I would encourage them, implore them, to just trade him. You're not going back. You're not making this move unless you have already decided as a group and as an organization that we're moving on, or you're gonna lose your locker room if you keep playing him. So, I think he's done in Carolina. I've seen it floated around, the Dolphins. If I was the Los Angeles Rams, I would probably make a call. This is why teams go through their draft evaluations even if they're unlikely to be drafting one. The Rams might have absolutely loved Bryce Young. I just don't think it gets remade in Carolina."

- Dan Orlovsky

It would be shocking if the Panthers went back to Young after this. The conviction those in power at the time had pre-draft is long gone, replaced by uncertainty and potential dissension in the locker room. Awkward situations such as this tend to have the same ending. One only has to look at the likes of Mac Jones, Zach Wilson, and Justin Fields to see that.

Despite Young's poor start to his career, some teams could potentially see his failings as a situational issue rather than the signal-caller being deficient of any meaningful talent. The Panthers are never going to get back what they gave to the Chicago Bears in any deal. Taking stock and reassessing his value is the only way anyone can move forward.

The Rams wouldn't be a bad landing spot. It would provide Young with a chance to learn behind Super Bowl-winning quarterback Matthew Stafford and develop under an elite offensive mind in Sean McVay. But this all comes down to whether those around the league believe there is something to be salvaged.

Nobody will know that until a trade arrives or not. Young's gone from being the future of the franchise to an unwanted distraction bringing more negativity to a team already drowning in it. If general manager Dan Morgan gets what he believes to be an acceptable offer, just take it so this chapter closes once and for all.

Things are complicated enough already.

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