Panthers have to consider making a major change at quarterback... again

There's something to be said for staying the course at quarterback after years of chaos. However, the Carolina Panthers organization is doing iself no favors if they really believe this Bryce Young thing is working out.

We have been reluctant to write Young off because of the excellent potential he proved he has in the second half of the 2024 season, especially his great three-game run at the very end.

That's only a small portion of Young's career in the NFL, though - and too much of the rest of it has been defined by well-below-average performances.

Since getting drafted No. 1 overall in 2023 Young has now appeared in 39 career games - and he's only really looked impressive in maybe five or six of them. That's simply not nearly enough to justify keeping his job in the long run, even though Young has impressed in crunch time more often than not.

Aug 16, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) looks to the sidelines for a play against the Houston Texans in the first quarter at NRG Stadium. | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Today's loss to the New Orleans Saints was a back-breaker, though. To be fair, Young's pass protection was not good, his receivers weren't getting open and his head coach simply seems to be in over his head.

Even when you consider all the context, Young's performance was just not good enough - and that's been the case far too many times. Young frequently inaccurate, and collapses too easily when faced with common wrinkles like stunts and fake blitzes like the one he threw an interception on today.

Today's start was the seventh straight that Young has thrown for under 200 passing yards and the third time this year he hasn't thrown a touchdown. He only has one over his last three starts and is barely averaging over five yards per attempt in that stretch.

In other words, just when Young should be settling in and really starting to make a name for himself in this league, he's going to the opposite direction.

NFL — Dec 22, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) is grabbed by Carolina Panthers linebacker D.J. Wonnum (98) during the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

It's time for the Panthers to seriously consider other options - and there might be a significant upgrade available this offseason.

This past week Kyler Murray was effectively benched by the Arizona Cardinals in favor of Jacoby Brissett. Murray's game is by no means perfect - but he is only 28 years old and has shown he has a much higher ceiling than Bryce Young.

Murray is a two-time Pro Bowler with a better arm, quicker legs and a lot more experience. If the Cardinals are truly done with him as their starter, the Panthers have to at leat call and see what it might take to trade for him.

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