The Carolina Panthers’ biggest problem early in the season seems to be solving itself. It took longer than anyone expected, but a year after trading a boatload of assets to acquire the No. 1 pick and select Bryce Young, the quarterback has finally looked like an NFL-caliber player over the past few weeks.
Catastrophic slumps 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 minimal playoff aspirations. It’s a huge step up from where Young has been for most of his NFL career, and he’s playing his way to earning the Panthers’ quarterback job in 2025. This is a big deal because, wow, this is one of the group a lot Of necessity, and if they don’t need to spend resources on a QB, they can spend them elsewhere.
It’s easy to see why people are so excited and genuinely happy for what Young has accomplished recently — his career has had a legitimately historically bad start. Before being benched 2 weeks later, Young had 3,122 yards, 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in his first 18 starts. That was a paltry 173 passing yards and less than one passing touchdown per game. That’s not viable production for a rebuilding NFL team trying to figure out what pieces they have to keep for the future. Since then, Young’s production has been acceptable and he’s made some big throws to give the Panthers a chance to win. That’s all they could ask for at this point in the season and turn their attention to other parts of their roster.
And they desperately need it! Part of the reason Young’s strong performances over the past two weeks haven’t been able to translate into wins is that other parts of their team aren’t quite there yet — especially on defense. This week, Buccaneers running backs Bucky Irving and Rachaad White rushed for 228 yards and a touchdown on just 36 carries in Tampa Bay’s 26-23 overtime win. They’re two 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 even if Young continues to ascend to a winning quarterback, it will severely limit their ceiling going forward. The return of star defensive tackle Derrick Brown from injury will help, but they need more than just his return to the lineup.
This is where Young’s development is truly influential for the direction of this franchise. According to Tankathon, the Panthers are projected to have the fifth pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. If they don’t have to spend it on an upcoming, potentially weak, quarterback class, they can begin to lean on their defense and skill player depth that will at least build a solid frame to carry the team. It’s widely known to be a long, long-term rebuild, but it appears they can stave off the quarterback problem for at least one more year.
Things could change if Young gets back to his ways before his benching, but let’s not throw those bad thoughts to the wind. He is playing much improved football which allows the Panthers to move to other parts of their roster which is a big reason why they are now 3-9. There’s still a ways to go before Young can be considered a franchise quarterback, but it’s a good start.
