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Bryce Young not on trade block, according to Panthers coach Dave Canales

jason owens
Staff writer
·3 min read
69

Carolina head coach Dave Canales said Wednesday that the Panthers aren't planning to trade quarterback Bryce Young.

"That's not something we're really considering," Canales said when asked about the trading Young. "We have a great situation with our quarterbacks right now with guys that have experience.

"We love where we're at. We're all hands on deck; we're focused on playing the Raiders this week."

This is all to be taken with a grain of salt.

Just Sunday night, Canales told reporters that "Bryce is our quarterback" after Young completed 8 of 14 passes for 84 yards with an interception in a 26-3 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. By Monday afternoon, Young had lost his job. The Panthers announced Monday that they were benching Young in favor of veteran backup Andy Dalton.

Hence the questions about Young's future in Charlotte.

Will Bryce Young play another down for the the Panthers? (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Will Bryce Young play another down for the the Panthers? (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Young is out out of his job 18 games into his NFL career after the Panthers traded up to select him with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft. It's a stunning revelation — not because of Young's performance, which has been dismal — but because of how much Carolina's invested in its young quarterback.

The Panthers parted with an enormous amount of capital for the rights to select Young, and now they appear to be moving on from him just two weeks into his second NFL season. It's a decision that raises questions about not only Carolina's decision to draft Young but how they've chosen to develop him. The Panthers chose to throw Young into the fire in Week 1 of his rookie season, a decision that in hindsight doesn't look so great.

Canales insisted on Wednesday that Young's time as Carolina's franchise quarterback isn't necessarily done.

"Absolutely," Caneles said when asked if he still believes in Young as a franchise quarterback. "This is a developmentally minded program. So the development didn't stop. Every rep he's out there, we're evaluating the whole thing — having conversations and just continuing to push all of our guys, including Bryce, to take that next step.

"Every day is a growth possibility and opportunity. So we're fully committed to that."

There's certainly a chance the Panthers could continue to develop Young on the bench behind Dalton with eyes on giving him another shot down the line. Dalton, 36, is playing on the last year of a two-year contract and isn't the future of the franchise.

At the same time, Young's trade value is likely at a low. There's little reason to believe a potential trade partner would be willing to part with much of value for a quarterback who's yet to demonstrate that he's capable of producing like an NFL starter. Why would the Panthers trade Young for a pittance if they genuinely believe there's still hope that he's their quarterback of the future?

But if Young somehow does rally to become a successful starter for the Panthers, he would break the mold. This is a hypothetical with little precedent. And as the events of this week have demonstrated, it's probably best to approach Canales' words on the situation with a healthy dose of skepticism.