ESPN scoop a concerning development for Carolina Panthers QB Bryce Young

A familiar pattern seems to be playing out for Bryce Young this season. While he has managed to rebound more often than not, Young has made a bad habit of starting out games poorly. And by poorly we mean really terrible, as in committing multiple turnovers in the first quarter.

That's what happened in Week 2 against the Arizona Cardinals, when Young coughed up a fumble and then threw an interception on the opening possessions for the Carolina Panthers. It happened against last week against the Miami Dolphins, as he lost a bad fumble and then threw an ugly pick on the very next drive.

In both games Young deserves credit for buckling down and playing a clean game the rest of the way, giving his team a chance at a comeback win in both cases. They pulled it off against the Dolphins, but couldn't close the deal against the Cardinals.

No matter how impressive Young might play in the second half, the Panthers desperately need him to take better care of the ball early in games. If he doesn't stop this trend in its tracks, another quarterback change could be coming in Carolina.

According to a scoop by Dan Graziano at ESPN, teams around the NFL are watching to see if head coach Dave Canales decides to bench Young for Andy Dalton again like last year.

"But there are people around the league who are watching that situation to see whether Young, who hasn't maintained the momentum that he finished with last season, could get benched again for Andy Dalton if he doesn't show improvement soon."

If Young can't keep a lid on his ball security problems then the Panthers will be justified in making a change. However, the unfortunate fact is that they wouldn't gain much by putting Dalton on the field. At 36 years old he's not going to be their next franchise QB no matter how well he might perform in any one start.

Carolina does have another option here in Hendon Hooker, a third-round pick by the Detroit Lions in the 2023 NFL draft who the Panthers signed just before the season started.

The trouble with Hooker is that his game is completely raw, and he would likely need at least two weeks' worth of practice with the starting offense to be remotely ready to start.

The Panthers' bye doesn't come until Week 14 this season, though. That means even if they wanted to give Hooker as much runway as possible, their season would probably have already been long sunken by the time he's ready to go.

If Canales does decide to pull Young again, we can probably assume that the Panthers are not going to pick up his fifth-year option and will not be planning to start him next season. That means they would have to go back to the drawing board and start all over again for the half-dozenth time since they released Cam Newton back in 2020.

Along the way the Panthers have cut two quarterbacks who have since gone on to become superstars for new teams - Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield just had one of the most-impressive QB duels in NFL history for the Seahawks and the Buccaneers, respectively.

The risk the Panthers run in cutting Young is seeing him leave and then finally reach his full potential on another team, with another head coach.

As frustrating as that might be, Carolina might not have much of a choice if Young can't break out of his limitations and start carrying their offense better than he has so far. Should Young not work out, the Panthers might want to try finding a reclamation project of their own rather than develop a quarterback from scratch.

Daniel Jones is the latest example to break through in the right situation after floundering for several years with a bad team and looking like a bust. Several others have made the same leap in recent years, including Geno Smith and Josh Allen.

It's easier said than done, but trying to resurrect the career of a promising QB who's fallen on hard times seems like a better path than trying to draft and develop a quarterback, which the Panthers have not proven they're capable of as of yet.

The best-case scenario for Carolina is that Young breaks out of this early-drive funk and starts playing consistently clean football. If he can't, all that will be left are hard choices.

Sep 21, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales with quarterback Bryce Young (9) after the game at Bank of America Stadium. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

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