News broke on Monday that the Carolina Panthers would be benching quarterback Bryce Young heading into their Week 3 game against the Las Vegas Raiders. New head coach Dave Canales will give the nod to veteran quarterback Andy Dalton over the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
The Panthers made a large investment in Young, trading four draft picks and wide receiver D.J. Moore to the Chicago Bears in exchange for the top pick they used to select Young. Whose disappointing start to his career is on the shoulders of the organization over the player according to NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper.
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“I think mishandled is the word,” Kiper said on ESPN’s Get Up on Tuesday morning. “Because when you drafted Bryce Young, (you) knew he was an outlier. Russell Wilson was bigger, taller, but only 5’10 and three quarters, that opened it up for the 5’10 quarterback. But Russell Wilson was 205-208 (pounds) coming out, not 180. Kyler Murray , because of Russell Wilson, became the number one pick overall. Different body type to Bryce Young. So you knew Bryce Young, not only short, but small, diminutive quarterback, needed help, right?”
As a prospect, what Young lacked in stature, he made up for in production. He took home the 2021 Heisman Trophy and threw for 8,200 yards with 79 touchdowns in his two seasons as Alabama ‘s starting quarterback. Such production was not seen in his rookie season with the Panthers, where he threw for 2,877 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in a 2-15 season for Carolina.
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“Also continuity, you draft a quarterback, everybody said he’s got this great infrastructure in Carolina around him with the head coach, the coordinator, the quarterback coach, everything there, the senior assistant. Everything’s in place,” Kiper explained. “And then you see him beat CJ Stroud on the field as a rookie. You take out the three games he threw multiple interceptions, he was six touchdowns, three picks. Had some decent games last year.”
Young’s head-to-head win against the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year drafted second overall behind him served as one of the few bright spots in the Panthers’ season last year. But an offseason full of staff changes and mismanagement leads Kiper to believe that the franchise failed the Young heading into his sophomore season.
“But then you go into this year, you change everything, because CJ Stroud’s doing so well in Houston. ‘We got to destroy this thing, we got to blow it up and start over because CJ Stroud’s doing so great in Houston. These coaches aren’t getting it done.'” Kiper said as if he were in the Carolina organization. “So we bring in an offensive coach who was with Baker (Mayfield) and others. Bring in a new pass game coordinator, new quarterback coach for Bryce Young.”
Having to learn a new offensive scheme heading into year two following a disappointing season is surely challenging for a young quarterback. But missing out on getting live, game reps in that new scheme makes things even harder once the season begins.
“Then we don’t play him in a preseason, we play him one series in the final preseason game against the AOGs. None of those guys are playing for Buffalo by the way … CJ Stroud played two preseason games this year, Derek Carr played in two preseason games. Why?” Kiper asked. “Because Klint Kubiak was coming in with a new offense and Derek Carr, as a veteran, played in two preseason games.”
In his first two starts of the season, Young completed 55.4% of his passes for 245 yards, zero touchdowns, and three interceptions. Not showing improvement from his rookie season in a stretch where Carolina has been outscored 73-13 by their first two opponents.
“Bryce Young played one series of the final preseason game against the nobody’s on defense for the Buffalo Bills. Does that make sense to you? And two games in we’re saying he can’t play. Yes, his confidence was shattered. Yes, he does need to sit behind Andy Dalton for a little bit. But to blame this on Bryce Young is ridiculous. The blame here goes to the organization, the owner, mishandling this young quarterback,” Kiper concluded.
Only time will tell if Young gets a second chance to prove that he has what it takes to be an NFL quarterback. And potentially whether his shortcomings on the field fall on his shoulders or those of the Carolina Panthers.
The post Mel Kiper blasts Panthers’ ‘mishandling’ of former No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young appeared first on On3 .
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