Bust confirmed? Bryce Young's gross first pass attempt of 2024 ends in familiar fashion

The Carolina Panthers gambled their future by selecting Alabama quarterback Bryce Young with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Desperate for a quarterback, Carolina shipped valuable assets to the Chicago Bears in exchange for the No. 1 overall pick. The Bears acquired standout wide receiver D.J. Moore along with their 2023 first-round pick, 2023 second-round pick, 2024 first-round pick and 2025 second-round pick to the Chicago Bears.

Young was viewed as the best quarterback prospect in the draft class, despite his diminutive size. He even drew comparisons to NBA superstar Steph Curry. 

In hindsight, the trade doesn’t look great for Carolina. Without Moore, the rookie quarterback was left with few weapons to target. The Panthers finished the 2023 regular season with a 2-15 record, worst in the NFL.

There was hope that Young would show signs of improvement in 2024 with a revamped coaching staff. 

Bryce Young started the season in the worst way possible

The Panthers opened the 2024 season with a divisional matchup against the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes Benz Stadium, and Young didn’t take long to pour cold water on any high expectations.

On the very first offensive play of the season, Young dropped back in the pocket and fired a pass over the middle that was intercepted by Saints safety Will Harris. 

There were no open receivers in the area, and it’s hard to tell exactly who Young was attempting to target. Harris didn’t have to do much to get the turnover — the Panthers quarterback essentially threw it right to him.

The Panthers hired former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales as their head coach. Canales helped revive the career of quarterback Baker Mayfield in Tampa Bay. In 2022, he served as the quarterbacks coach for the Seattle Seahawks and helped resurrect quarterback Geno Smith’s career. The Panthers hoped Canales could bring that same magic to Carolina in order to help Young find some success.

To make matters even worse, the Houston Texans selected C.J. Stroud with the No. 2 overall pick, and the Bears were gifted USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the Panthers 2024 first-round pick. Those are two potentially generational prospects that Carolina missed out on, all for a quarterback who has yet to show any reason for optimism. 

Throw in the fact that the Panthers lost Moore, as well as two second-round picks, and this trade could prove to be one of the worst in NFL history.