The Bryce Young transfer will haunt the Carolina Panthers for years to come

There have been plenty of bad, one-sided, franchise-destroying, and “what were you thinking” trades in NFL history.

It would be difficult to find a plan that fell apart more quickly and decisively than when, first, the Carolina Panthers secured the first draft pick in 2023 and, second, when they completely botched the evaluation process in deciding who to take with that selection.

On Monday, after another Carolina loss, head coach Dave Canales announced that draft pick quarterback Bryce Young would be benched. He will be replaced by veteran Andy Dalton just two games into Young’s second season.

Although Canales expressed his continued long-term support for Young, everyone has seen the consequences of this action.

If it’s not worth it for a first-year head coach to let Young play on a bad team this early in the season, then when is it? If the Panthers have so little faith in Young’s ability to win games (or just not lose them) that it’s unfair to the rest of the locker room to let him play, then how does that change?

Young has completed just 55.4 percent of his passes this season, throwing three interceptions and no touchdowns. Carolina is 0-2. It comes after a disappointing rookie season in which he was no better, ranking 29th in Total QBR among NFL starters.

Carolina won just two games last season as Young barely showed the skills of a viable NFL quarterback, let alone a franchise winner that you would expect from the first player drafted. At some point, reality is reality. This time, it came quickly.

Young is young and Carolina is a dysfunctional mess, so perhaps better days are ahead for the one-time Heisman Trophy winner from Alabama. For now, though, there’s a chance this will go down as one of the worst No. 1 picks in history.

But that, as Panthers fans know only too well, is only the beginning of this nightmare.

Just over a year ago, then-Carolina general manager Scott Fitterer and former head coach Frank Reich were so confident in the potential of the new rookies in quarterbacks that they traded wide receiver DJ Moore, first-round picks in 2023 and 2024, and second-round picks in 2023 and 2025 to Chicago to move up from No. 9 to No. 1 overall.

They then conducted a talent evaluation and ultimately concluded that Young was the right fit for them.

“There is consensus,” said Reich. “And we are excited.”

Soon no one was enthusiastic anymore.

Fitterer was fired in January after a 2-15 season with the Panthers. Reich didn’t even last that long, and was fired in November after a 1-10 season.

Chicago, meanwhile, used draft picks to sign quarterback Caleb Williams, offensive tackle Darnell Wright and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson (a 2025 second-round pick still pending), all of whom started Sunday’s loss to Houston. Moore, meanwhile, has 11 receptions this season.

That’s four or maybe five key players – including a potential franchise QB – for a guy who now supports the Red Rifle.

That’s bad, but not the worst.

With the No. 1 overall pick, the Panthers were able to select from the entire 2023 QB class, including CJ Stroud, who shone at Ohio State.

Stroud was long considered the favorite to be the first pick. Instead, Carolina went the other way and believed in a 5’10” quarterback who became the smallest in the league at his position the moment he was selected. The Texans immediately grabbed Stroud with the No. 2 overall pick.

While Young struggled, Stroud became the 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year after throwing 23 touchdowns with just five interceptions and leading the Texans to the playoffs. This season, the Texans are off to a 2-0 start and Stroud is completing 69.1 percent of his passes with three more TDs and zero interceptions.

Not only is Stround a franchise quarterback, he also has the makings of a future All-Pro who can lead Houston into a serious Super Bowl contender.

And he was just there to have him – it was worth giving up all assets to get him.

Only Carolina chose not to draft him, and now their fans – and team owner David Tepper – can spend years watching Stroud – and the other draft picks – shine elsewhere.

Not even 17 months later, it all seems to be over. Bryce Young has only started 18 games and is already on the bench. Perhaps he will set the all-time speed record with a terrible trade and draft decision.