Everyone thought it would be tough for Bryce Young, but that was hard to predict.
The Carolina Panthers moved up from ninth place to the top pick in last year’s draft and selected Bryce Young.
So far it has been a nightmare.
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Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban watches quarterback Bryce Young (9) pass the ball during warmups before a game against the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. (Peter Thomas/USA Today Sports)
As a starter, Young is 2-16, and the Panthers’ disastrous 2023 season did not earn them the first pick because they sent their 2024 first-round pick to Chicago as part of the blockbuster deal to ultimately select Young.
But Young’s talent lacks the necessary ability, and Nick Saban, Young’s college coach, says that played a key role in Young’s struggles.
“Quarterback is a really tough position to play when the guys around you aren’t playing well,” Saban said Friday on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “That’s one of the downsides of being selected first in the draft. You might come on a team that doesn’t have all the pieces. … Carolina didn’t have that, and they’re going to have to rebuild the thing from the ground up.”
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young leaves the field after a game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Bank of America Stadium. (Jim Dedmon/Images)
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“I hate to see Bryce Young get benched, but I also don’t see a lot of opportunity for him to be successful given how many good players they have around him, how many offensive players they have around him,” Saban added. “I think he’s the type of player that can really perform well when he has good players around him.”
One reason Young doesn’t have many stars around him is because Carolina included DJ Moore in its deal with Chicago for the top pick. At this point, it looks like one of the worst trades in NFL history.
Since 2022, the Panthers have also traded top players like Christian McCaffrey and Brian Burns for picks.
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young reacts during a press conference following his team’s loss to the New Orleans Saints in New Orleans on September 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
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Carolina will face the Las Vegas Raiders this weekend with veteran Andy Dalton. After throwing for 2,877 yards and 11 touchdowns in 16 games last season, Young has thrown for just 245 yards and zero touchdown passes in two games this year.
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