Once the toast of college football and the next potential superstar of the NFL, former No. 1 draft of the Carolina Panthers Bryce Young has been benched.
According to ESPN, Young, 23, becomes the first quarterback selected No. 1 in the common draft era (since 1967) to be benched for noninjury reasons in his second season.
Panthers head coach Dave Canales said he made the change after reviewing film of Sunday’s 26-3 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, in which Young posted a career-low 6.4 QBR.
According to the ESPN report, Canales did not specify whether owner David Tepper had a say in the decision but noted general manager Dan Morgan and executive vice president Brandt Tilis were part of the discussion.
Ultimately, though, “this was my decision,” Canales said.
In his young career, Young has gone 2-16 as the starter since Carolina traded up eight spots with the Chicago Bears to draft him No. 1 last year. He’s 0-2 this season with the Panthers losing to the Chargers and New Orleans Saints by a combined 73-13.
Young’s 8.9 QBR after two games is by far the worst in the NFL among qualified quarterbacks this season. Chicago’s Caleb Williams, who was selected No. 1 in the 2024 draft with a pick acquired from Carolina in the Young trade, is next closest at 23.9.
It is not the worst two-game stretch since ESPN began compiling QBR, however. Matthew Stafford averaged 5.6 in 2009 with the Detroit Lions, and Andy Dalton averaged 7.4 in 2017 with the Cincinnati Bengals.
A league source close to the situation told ESPN that Young was blindsided by the news, particularly after what appeared to be a vote of confidence from Canales after Sunday’s game.
Young even had thanked Canales for sticking with him.
“I’m very blessed,” Young said after Sunday’s game. “I’m grateful for this challenge. Not an ideal start, but God does everything for a reason. I have faith in that.”
Dalton said he “wasn’t expecting” the news when Canales let him know of his decision, but he added that he has “been praying for another opportunity.”