Panthers QB Bryce Young set up for failure in return under center without his top 2 WRs

Carolina Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton recently sprained his right thumb in a car crash involving his family. Thankfully, no hospital transport was needed for anyone, but the injury to the veteran signal-caller thrusts Bryce Young under center for Week 8.

Earlier this week, head coach Dave Canales announced that Young will start for Carolina in their upcoming game against the Denver Broncos. At the time, the 2023 No. 1 overall pick was expected to have his top two wide receivers — Diontae Johnson and Adam Thielen — to target. Since then, both have been ruled out for the contest, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Good grief. After getting benched, there wasn't much hope for a Young redemption himself, regardless of Johnson and Thielen's availability. Given what we've seen from him in his first 18 NFL starts, there isn't much to cling onto that suggests a bounceback is imminent. Nonetheless, having your primary receiving tandem would be nice, especially versus a stingy Broncos defense that leads the league in pressures (by a decent margin).

Panthers QB Bryce Young set up for failure in return under center without Diontae Johnson or Adam Thielen

The Panthers won't be able to learn anything about what they have in Young and whether or not he can be their long-term franchise passer. The 23-year-old is forced to rely on unproven options like rookie wideouts Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker, the latter of which went undrafted. Or, he could turn to veteran journeyman David Moore and former second-round draft bust Jonathan Mingo, neither of which are appealing alternatives.

Overall, Young and the Panthers' already bleak situation somehow got worse. The organization is in the unenviable position of being a perennial bottom-feeder without knowing if their quarterback of the future is on the roster. Yet, the sledding suddenly gets tougher under the current circumstances.

Young got benched after Week 2 because Carolina's offense was dysfunctional and unable to move the ball, and that was with Johnson and Thielen. Stripped of his duo of season pass-catchers, it's hard to envision things getting better sans them.