NFL insider Dianna Russini of The Athletic raised eyebrows when she reported that teams around the league were “kinda licking their chops” thinking the Carolina Panthers could make second-year quarterback Bryce Young available ahead of the Nov. 5 trade deadline.
Young is on track to make a second-straight start for Carolina with veteran Andy Dalton recovering from a sprained thumb, but it sounds like the Panthers have made a big decision regarding the 23-year-old’s long-term future with the organization.
According to Joseph Zucker of Bleacher Report, Russini shared during the latest edition of The Athletic’s “Scoop City” podcast that the Panthers are “really just trying to figure out [Young’s trade value], as I know that there are teams around the league right now interested to see if they can be the team to sort of revamp him and give him some life.”
First-year Carolina head coach Dave Canales benched Young after the first pick of the 2023 NFL Draft was arguably the league’s worst starting quarterback over the season’s first two weeks. Young reportedly was quite upset over Canales’ decision, and Russini later indicated that the relationship between Canales and Young was essentially “over” before Dalton hurt his thumb in a car accident.
To compare, it was said shortly after Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen benched second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson earlier this week that the Colts aren’t giving up on the fourth overall pick of the 2023 draft. While Steichen joined the Colts ahead of last year’s player-selection process, Canales was employed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when the Panthers grabbed Young.
Young completed 24-of-37 pass attempts for 224 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in this past Sunday’s 28-14 loss to the Denver Broncos that dropped the Panthers to 1-7 on the season. It’s possible that he could look like a revelation in this coming Sunday’s home game against the 2-6 New Orleans Saints, but Russini’s update suggests the Panthers want to use that game to put Young on display for would-be buyers.
For whatever reasons, Canales and Co. seemingly would be just fine to have Young out of the building before the upcoming offseason gets underway.
