LeBron James sends message to Bryce Young after Panthers bench QB

Young, who began his NFL career with a 2-16 record, has thrown 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions over that span. In the first two games of the 2024 season, he's completed 55.4 percent of his passes for 245 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions. The decision to bench Young came as even more of a surprise considering Canales publicly backed the young signal-caller after the Week 2 loss, stating that "right now, Bryce is our quarterback."

Panthers' brutal trade becomes even worse

While Young's struggles have remained a hot-button topic, his play has come under even more scrutiny when compared to the player the Panthers selected him over, Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud. Carolina traded up to select Young at No. 1 over Stroud as well, sending wide receiver DJ Moore, the No. 9 pick and a second-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft, the No. 1 overall pick in 2024 and a 2025 second-round selection to the Chicago Bears.

To add insult to injury for Carolina, Stroud led the Texans to a playoff win in his first season while posting a 10-7 record. Houston is also off to a 2-0 start to the 2024 season. Through his 17 career regular-season games, Stroud has thrown for 4,602 yards with 26 touchdowns and just five interceptions. He's posted an overall completion percentage of 64.6 and, in two games this year, has connected on 69.1 percent of his attempts for 494 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

Considering all they gave up for him via trade, it would be a surprise if the Panthers opt to throw in the towel on Young. While Dalton will provide a veteran presence, Carolina's struggles go far beyond the quarterback position, and on the surface, it seems likely that we haven't seen the last of Young this season.