The Carolina Panthers’ biggest problem at the start of the season seems to be solving itself. It took a lot longer than anyone had hoped, but a year after trading away a large amount of assets to get the No. 1 pick and select Bryce Young, the quarterback finally looked like a player. NFL caliber in recent weeks. Disastrous dips haven’t been a part of his game recently, and he’s given them a real chance to beat the Chiefs and Buccaneers, two teams with, at minimum, playoff aspirations. That’s a huge step up from where Young has largely been during his NFL career, and he’s working his way toward landing the Panthers’ quarterback job in 2025. C ‘is a big deal because, phew, this team has a plot needs, and if they don’t need to spend the assets on QB, they can spend them elsewhere.
It’s easy to see why people are so excited and genuinely happy about what Young has accomplished recently – his start to his career has been legitimately bad, historically. Before being benched after Week 2, Young had totaled 3,122 yards, 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in his first 18 starts. That amounted to a paltry 173 passing yards and less than a passing touchdown per game. That’s simply not viable production for a rebuilding NFL team trying to figure out what pieces it has that are worth saving for the future. Since then, Young’s production has become acceptable and he has made some big throws to give the Panthers a chance to win. That’s all they could have asked for at this stage of the season and can turn their attention to other parts of their squad.
And they desperately need it! Part of the reason they haven’t been able to turn Young’s strong performances over the past two weeks into wins is that the other parts of their team just aren’t there yet, especially on defense . This week, Buccaneers running backs Bucky Irving and Rachaad White combined for 228 yards and a touchdown on just 36 carries in Tampa Bay’s 26-23 overtime victory. They’re both promising players, but they’re not exactly LaDainian Tomlinson and Michael Turner from the mid-2000s. The Panthers’ defense is a serious problem right now and will severely limit their ceiling going forward, even if Young continues to develop into a quarterback -winning rear. Bringing star defensive tackle Derrick Brown back from injury at some point will help, but they clearly need a lot more than just him back in the lineup.
This is where Young’s improvement really impacts the direction of this franchise. According to Tankathonthe Panthers are expected to pick fifth overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. If they don’t have to spend that on the potentially weak upcoming quarterback class, they can start taking care of their defense and their player depth, which would at least build a stronger framework that the team could continue to rely on. This is widely known as a long-term rebuild, but it appears they can at least push the quarterback problem out another year.
Things could change if Young returns to his pre-bench ways, but let’s not let those bad thoughts rest. He’s playing much-improved football that will allow the Panthers to move on to other parts of their roster, which is a big part of why they’re 3-9 right now. There’s still a way to go before Young is considered a franchise quarterback, but it’s a good start.
