Panthers shocking Bryce Young benching won’t actually help the problem

The Carolina Panthers are in rough shape. Owner Dave Tepper is very hands-on with the football operations, and shook things up last season by firing head coach Frank Reich and general manager Scott Fitterer. One of the main things he was looking for in a head coach was one who could improve the offense and help develop quarterback and 2023 first-overall pick Bryce Young. So, he hired Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales.

The hope was that Young would take a leap and turn into the Heisman Trophy winning quarterback that we saw at Alabama. Instead, just after two games, the Panthers are pulling the plug.

According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the Panthers were benching Young in favor of veteran Andy Dalton. This comes after Canales reiterated that Young was their quarterback. And, a year after they gave up DJ Moore, their 2023 first- and second-round picks, their 2024 first-rounder, and a 2025 second-round selection;.

While this was a tough decision they had to make, it was like putting a bandaid on a deep wound. As in, it's not stopping the bleeding on what is a bad football team.

Panthers benching Bryce Young won't help them turn things around

The Panthers used to have so much talent on their roster. Let's not forget that nearly a decade ago, the Panthers made it to Super Bowl 50. But in recent years, the team became bottom dwellers not just in the NFC South, but in the entire league.

Chrisitan McCaffrey? Traded to the San Francisco 49ers. DJ Moore? Dealt to the Chicago Bears in the trade to land Young! Brian Burns? Moved to the New York Giants (and he's not in a great team situation currently).

Carolina's roster is in rough shape. The wide receiving corps is among the worst in the league On both sides of the line of scrimmage, the only difference-making player on the roster currently, as NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah points out, is defensive tackle Derrick Brown, and he's done for the season due to a knee injury.

It's hard to see Dalton really making a true difference. Sure, they may not get blown out like they did against the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Chargers, but will they win? Just last season, Dalton had one chance to start and did pretty well, throwing for 361 yards and two touchdowns on a 58.6 completion percentage. Yet, the Panthers still lost 37-27.

Regardless of who is playing under center, it's hard to envision the Panthers turning things around easily. It is a messy, messy situation.