Erratic Bryce Young doing a slow crawl up the NFL quarterback rankings

Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports has come out with his updated NFL quarterback rankings. A week ago, the Carolina Panthers were coming off a lopsided 42-13 loss at New England. Benjamin had Carolina’s Bryce Young at No. 30 after the 29-point setback. The third-year performer hit on only 18-of-30 throws for 150 yards and one score before eventually giving way to veteran Andy Dalton.

“Coach Dave Canales keeps defending his guy,” explained Benjamin, “which is a testament to Young’s own leadership. But it's hard to get around the fact that the Panthers have consistently been one of the least effective passing attacks with him as the point guard.”

This past Sunday, Young turned over the ball on each of the team’s first two possessions vs. the Dolphins and Carolina found itself down 17-0. He would rebound to throw a pair of TD passes, but backup running back Rico Dowdle was the biggest catalyst in the Panthers’ 27-24 win. As for the quarterback’s latest ranking, he made the move up all the way to 29th.

“The Panthers seem to put themselves in a hole almost every week," said Benjamin, "and that's partially Young’s doing. But then he shows up with legitimate poise after the inevitable stumbles. If only the entire operation had some sustainable rhythm.”

Oct 5, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) gets tackled during the third quarter against the Miami Dolphins at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images | Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images

Young has thrown for less than 200 yards in four of his five games, and is completing a so-so 60.9 percent of his passes. The third-year signal-caller has totaled as many touchdown passes this season (7) as turnovers, most of those miscues coming in the first half of games. Young has certainly not picked up where he left off last season when he looked like he had turned a corner after returning to the starting lineup following an early-season benching by Canales.

Next up are the Dallas Cowboys and the league’s bottom-ranked defense in terms of both total yards and passing yards allowed per game. If Young fails to have major success against that unit, well…

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