Why Signing Kenny Pickett May Have Been a Huge Mistake for Panthers

For several seasons, Andy Dalton was Bryce Young's mentor with the Carolina Panthers. But this offseason, GM Dan Morgan expressed a desire for something different behind Young, so he traded Dalton and signed Kenny Pickett.

Pickett fits the bill of being younger and more athletic than Dalton, but he's also a player who's bounced around with four organizations in just five full seasons so far. Was it a mistake targeting Pickett instead of Dalton? One insider thinks so, but he may not be quite right.

Kenny Pickett over Andy Dalton wasn't a total mistake for Panthers

Carolina Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton (14) warms up before the game against the New Orleans Saints | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

If Bryce Young isn't quarterbacking for the Carolina Panthers this year, something has gone wrong, and there is no hope. Say what you will about Young's quality, but he's certainly miles ahead of both Andy Dalton and Kenny Pickett.

So if the Panthers have to resort to Pickett, it really doesn't matter how good he can be as a backup, because the Panthers will be in trouble regardless. Still, ESPN's Bill Barnwell believes it might not have been the best move.

In fact, he listed it as Carolina's worst move this offseason. That says a lot about Pickett, but it says more about how good the offseason was if the worst move was paying $4 million to a veteran backup QB.

"There is a theoretical surplus value opportunity if Pickett does somehow take over the starting job and play well in Carolina, but why did the Panthers move on from Andy Dalton only to pay a premium to bring in Pickett?" Barnwell asked.

Pickett has been pretty awful in the last four years. "His 45.0 Total QBR ranks 28th out of 33 quarterbacks with at least 800 passes over the past four years, and his 0.06 EPA per dropback is last," Barnwell pointed out.

But the crux of this issue, to Barnwell, is that Pickett just hasn't shown anything. It's theoretically true that Pickett is young enough to get better, but what makes the Panthers the team that thinks they can do what others could not?

And maybe they are, but Barnwell doesn't think it's worth "paying a premium" to find out. To be totally honest, $4 million isn't really a premium. Pickett's $4 million salary puts him in the backup QB range of Joe Milton, Quinn Ewers, Spencer Rattler, and Tanner McKee.

At the very least, he's on par with those backups, but he's probably better. So the salary issue isn't really that concerning. Tommy DeVito, Shedeur Sanders, and Dillon Gabriel all make more than Pickett, too, for what that's worth.

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kenny Pickett (15) throws the ball against the New York Giants | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The issue is whether or not it was worth trading out Dalton for Pickett. If Barnwell had really watched the lone start Dalton made last year, he wouldn't be questioning it. Dalton doesn't have it anymore. Maybe Pickett doesn't, either, but the Panthers knew for certain that Dalton wasn't capable anymore.

Maybe there was a better backup option out there than Pickett, but they needed to move on from Dalton. Paying $4 million for a former first-rounder with experience to back up and guide Bryce Young is not really that bad.

It could certainly age poorly, especially if Pickett does come in and flounder, but the Panthers would likely be floundering with a backup no matter who that might be.

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