Despite Panthers kid gloves, they’d be silly not to trade Bryce Young now

No team is in worse shape right now than the Carolina Panthers in the NFL, and arguably in pro sports. Yes, it's that bad.

Carolina lost each of its first two games of the 2024 campaign by a final score of 73-13, they lost Derrick Brown potentially for the entire season due to injury, and chose to waive Eku Leota, their current sack leader. None of these things are close to as frustrating as the team's decision to bench Bryce Young.

No, Young does not look like a starting quarterback, or anything close to it, but this man was taken with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft after the Panthers traded a haul to have the right to get him. He was expected to be the quarterback savior of this franchise.

For now, Young will watch Andy Dalton play from the sidelines and run the scout team in practice. The Panthers are hoping he'll work with their development staff and eventually be ready to start again.

Rather than hoping that Young works out, the Panthers would be better off letting go now while they can.

Panthers would be wise to trade Bryce Young before it's too late

Carolina's plan makes sense. The best possible outcome is that Young takes some time off away from the spotlight and pressure and shows signs that he can be relied on as a starter, or should at least be given another real chance. However, even with some time to develop, how likely is it for Young to turn into anything worth holding onto?

Young completed just 59.8 percent of his passes in his rookie year, throwing for one more touchdown (11) than interception (10). He was so bad to the point where the Panthers were slated to pick No. 1 overall in 2024, only to have that foiled thanks to the trade that got the team Young to begin with. This season, Young completed 55.4 percent of his passes and had no touchdowns compared to three interceptions.

Because of when he was drafted, the fact that he's still only 23 years old, and the fact that he's under club control for a couple more seasons, there's at least one team out there that will be willing to give up way more than they should for Young. No, Carolina won't get 1.01 in a draft or even a first-round pick, but they could get a day-two pick and some other assets. At this point, that feels better than holding onto Young and praying that he turns into something.

The longer Carolina waits, the less likely it is that they can get any sort of meaningful return for Young. It's understandable that they want to hope Young turns into something, but based on what we've seen and what's around Young, he won't have much of a chance to turn into anything worth holding onto.