Dave Canales sure sounds like he’s buttering up 31 other teams on Bryce Young

I wouldn’t buy too much into Dave Canales’ statement about Bryce Young being named the starter for Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs. It may sound like he’s putting stock in Young after he was benched for a month and a half, but this feels more like he’s auditioning Young for the rest of the league to take notice for a potential offseason trade.

The only way Young could keep his job is by making the playoffs this season. And that is practically impossible at this point. 

Nonetheless, Young used his time on the bench to regroup and helped Carolina win each of the last two games ahead of Sunday’s game against the Chiefs. If the Panthers were really committed to Young, they’d simply name him the starter for the rest of the year. 

What's left to lose at this point?

Carolina’s misuse of Bryce Young isn’t getting any better with non-committal statements from Dave Canales

There’s a reason why Young wasn’t able to have the same success as C.J. Stroud in his first season and why he’s still behind Stroud in accomplishments despite being drafted before Stroud. Houston invested in their youth. They put pieces around Stroud and built a good foundation. 

The Panthers didn’t have the same foundation as the Texans, who offloaded Deshaun Watson to the Cleveland Browns and hauled in enough picks that even Daniel Jones would have enough weapons to succeed. 

Quarterbacks drafted high need time to grow. Every other player taken early in the draft is given leeway to grow and room for error. But quarterbacks don’t have that same luxury. If signal-callers don’t meet exorbitant expectations after their first season, they’re labeled a bust immediately. 

If they don’t have consistent success, they end up being viewed as a waste of money. It’s the hardest position to be in for young athletes.

A rebuild will always take time. In year two of turning things around, the quarterback play can’t be the only reason why things are progressing slower than the front office wants.

Canales and the Panthers have seemingly given up on Young and the week-to-week announcement of who’s going to start is evidence Young is getting strung along until the franchise is ready to move on. 

Young was never given a fair chance to grow in Carolina. He wasn’t given enough weapons to find out if he’s truly the problem holding the Panthers back. If Daniel Jones was afforded the opportunity to earn a $160 million contract, the least the Panthers could do is let Young develop through his rookie contract before cutting ties. 

It seems like Young is playing his final days in Carolina. With the Panthers projected to have a top-10 pick and the way they’ve toyed with Young, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them entertain the idea of drafting another quarterback early in 2025. 

I don’t know what the options would be toward the back end of the top 10, but if the Panthers feel they have a better option out there and decide to swing on another quarterback, it could be the move that officially gives Young a new chance to prove himself — because the Panthers aren't letting him do that.