ESPN analyst Mel Kiper isn't letting the Panthers off the hook after the recent benching of quarterback Bryce Young.
Kiper delivered an all-time rant Tuesday during an appearance on ESPN's "Get Up", blasting Carolina owner David Tepper and the organization for mishandling Young and his development.
Panthers head coach Dave Canales announced Monday that the team would be benching Young, the No. 1 overall pick in 2023, for veteran backup Andy Dalton. Young struggled through the first two games of the season, dropping contests against the Saints and the Chargers.
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Kiper flamed the entire organization Tuesday for benching Young on Monday. Here's what he had to say on the matter.
What did Mel Kiper say about Bryce Young and the Panthers?
Kiper did not mince words when giving his thoughts on the Young benching in Carolina.
The ESPN analyst immediately pointed out that the Alabama product was an "outlier" due to his size. While he had some success as a rookie, he had to deal with a change at head coach after Tepper fired Frank Reich in the middle of the season.
Kiper then pointed out the massive overhaul with the coaching staff this offseason, including replacing interim head coach Chris Tabor with Canales, and giving him a new offensive coordinator in Brad Idzik. Kiper insinuated it had to do with the success of C.J. Stroud in Houston, who Carolina, or rather Tepper, passed on in favor of Young.
"You take out the three games [Young] threw multiple interceptions, he had six touchdowns, three picks," Kiper said. "Had some decent games last year. Then you go into this year and you change everything because C.J. Stroud’s doing so well in Houston. 'We gotta destroy this thing, we gotta blow it up, start over.' Because C.J. Stroud’s doing so great in Houston, these coaches aren’t getting it done.
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"So we bring in an offensive coach, who was with Baker and others. Bring in a new pass game coordinator. New quarterback coach — for Bryce Young."
Kiper brought up the fact that despite giving Young an entirely new system with Canales and Idzik, the Panthers elected not to play him in the preseason. He was in for one series in the three preseason games.
"[The Panthers] play him one series in the final preseason game against the AOG’s [any old guy], by the way none of those guys are playing for Buffalo now," Kiper said. "They went one series down the field and they were 'Rah, rah, great, we accomplished everything we wanted to.'
"I’ll give you a little note — C.J. Stroud played two preseason games. Derek Carr played in two preseason games. Why? Because Klint Kubiak was coming in with a new offense, and Derek Carr as a veteran played in two preseason games. Bryce Young played one series in the final preseason game against the nobodies on defense for the Buffalo Bills. Because THAT makes sense that now we’re two games in that he can’t play."
To wrap up his rant, Kiper did mention how his confidence was most certainly affected through the first two games of the season, and he may do some good sitting behind a veteran like Dalton. But in Kiper's opinion, the culprit in this case is Tepper and the football club's mishandling of the situation.
"Yes, his confidence was shattered," Kiper said. "Yes, he does need to sit behind Andy Dalton for a little bit. But the 'blame this on Bryce Young' is ridiculous. The blame here goes to the organization, the owner, for mishandling this young quarterback."
While Young certainly deserves some of the blame with three interceptions and no touchdowns through the first two weeks of the 2024 season, it's not all on him. The young quarterback is dealing with his third head coach in less than two seasons, and is a member of what is regarded as one of the worst-run organizations in football.
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However, benching a player that the Panthers gave up a massive haul for after just 19 games is incredibly premature, and feels like a decision that will do more damage than good to Young's career.
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