Bryce Young’s recent improvement might not be enough to stop offseason trade

For really the first time since he was taken with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Bryce Young has shown some real improvement. Sure, the two teams he's beaten have a combined record of 5-15, and he hasn't lit the box score on fire, but he's looked a whole lot better.

Despite the 23-year-old showing clear improvement and winning two games in a row, head coach Dave Canales still hasn't named him the starter for the Carolina Panthers' next game which is set for Week 12, after their bye, at home, against the Kansas City Chiefs.

It'd be pretty shocking if Canales elected to bench Young after putting two straight wins together, but the fact that he hasn't named him the starter is eye-opening. It says a lot about what the Panthers think of his ability not only to help them win now but in the future as well. Just look at what Joseph Person of The Athletic ($) had to say.

"But Dave Canales wasn’t in Charlotte when the Panthers drafted Young, and there are signs he’s not sold on him. Canales has already benched Young once and came back to him only after Dalton sprained his thumb in a fender bender. When Young led back-to-back wins over New Orleans and the Giants— matching his win total from his rookie season — Canales declined to immediately name him the starter for the following game. So it wouldn’t be surprising if Dalton is behind center again, with Canales and the other decision-makers gauging whether the 37-year-old could be a bridge in 2025."

Panthers still might not commit to Bryce Young long-term even after recent improvement

Canales has already shown a willingness to play bench young in favor of 37-year-old Andy Dalton and had he not suffered his thumb injury, who knows if Young would've even gotten another chance this season? Now, Young has made the most of his opportunity, but still, Canales won't name him the permanent starter.

Canales refusing to label Young as his team's starter has to say a lot about how he views him. Dalton surely isn't the long-term answer either at his age, but he could stick around as a potential bridge quarterback if the Panthers choose to draft someone this coming offseason.

At 3-7, the Panthers have nothing to gain by playing Dalton, yet Canales is even considering doing so after back-to-back Young-led wins. Could a solid showing against a higher-quality opponent like Kansas City change things? Perhaps, but it's important to keep in mind that Canales wasn't in town when Young was drafted. He might not be as on board as others in the organization, making a trade extremely possible.

The longer Canales holds off from naming Young the starter when the team is out of contention, the more sense it makes that the Panthers don't believe he's their guy long-term. If that's the case, a trade could go down as soon as this offseason.