Former All-Pro lambasts Carolina Panthers over Bryce Young benching

The shockwaves are still reverberating around the Carolina Panthers' decision to bench second-year quarterback Bryce Young. It reportedly came as a shock to the No. 1 overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft so soon into the campaign, but the writing was on the wall after another inept showing against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Young is a player devoid of confidence and bad habits have crept into his game. Nobody would admit it publicly, but it was clear as day that his constant failure to produce the goods and see the field effectively was having a detrimental impact on his teammates.

Dave Canales and others in positions of power pulled the trigger on change. Something that further adds to the dysfunction emanating from the organization since David Tepper assumed ownership.

Some are sticking the boot in by victory lapping. As someone who thought the Panthers should have gone with C.J. Stroud before the draft, that's unfair to Young. He's not without blame by any stretch. He's also been failed in every conceivable way by Carolina from the moment he entered a toxic environment.

Chad Johnson goes off on Carolina Panthers for Bryce Young benching

Former All-Pro wide receiver Chad Johnson was the latest to lambast the Panthers for their treatment of Young during the latest Nightcap with Shannon Sharpe. He was scathing in his assessment regarding the way Carolina handled things with the former Alabama star, citing the overall state of the roster and the poor decisions made. Something he believes left the Heisman Trophy winner fighting a losing battle from the outset.

"You're pointing the finger at Bryce Young as if Bryce Young is the issue. That's not the issue. Look at the quarterbacks before Bryce Young got there. I thought they were the problem. It's been a revolving door of quarterbacks not having success because they don't have what they need around them to be successful.

"Bryce Young was the No. 1 pick for a reason. Now you expect Bryce Young to come in - had a different coaching staff last year. Hired Dave Canales, right? You let him play two games, he has nothing surrounding him to help him. But now you're gonna bench him and start Andy Dalton like that's going to answer the problem.

"Fix the s--- around him, and then you put him in an environment, and I guarantee you, you'll find success. They're talking about Bryce Young, he's too short. Hello? How tall is Kyler Murray? How tall is Baker Mayfield? It's not Bryce Young. His confidence is shot, man."

Canales was less forthcoming than normal when explaining his reasoning. He wouldn't discuss Tepper's involvement in the decision-making process. He didn't state whether this was a permanent switch or not. All this after stating just a week ago that it was going to be a long time before 'we become us'.

Young's benching saved the locker room atmosphere. Having such a dejected figure leading the way rubs off on everyone else. Dalton wasn't exactly flawless even in his prime, but he's experienced and should be capable of putting up better numbers behind a rapidly improving offensive line.

Johnson is right. The Panthers didn't help Young at all and shattered his confidence almost beyond repair. They opted to bench him after two games, so the trust between the quarterback and his head coach also disintegrated considerably.

It's hard to see a way back for Young in Carolina. And make no mistake, there is plenty of blame to go around.

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