Panthers GM raises eyebrows with Bryce Young comments

While speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Carolina Panthers general manager Dan Morgan was asked if he thought that second-year pro Bryce Young "can still be the franchise quarterback here." 

Morgan was noticeably noncommittal with his answer. 

"Yeah, I think every week, you know, we're assessing Bryce," Morgan said, as shared by Kassidy Hill of the Panthers' website. "We're just seeing, taking it day by day, really just seeing him grow, seeing him develop, be under coach and work with him, learn under [veteran Andy Dalton]. I think we do see him growing every day. We're excited to work with him and keep working with him in the future. At the end of the day, we'll have those conversations once the season ends and we'll see where we're at."

First-year Panthers head coach Dave Canales benched Young after the 23-year-old was arguably the league's worst starting quarterback across the first two weeks of the season. Canales then went back to Young after Dalton suffered a sprained thumb, and the first pick of the 2023 NFL Draft has since gone 1-1 as a QB1. 

Young will start when the 2-7 Panthers face the 2-7 New York Giants in Germany on Sunday. 

ESPN's Dan Graziano revealed on Wednesday that the Panthers "weren't ready to give up" on Young ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline. Morgan said that he "never opened that door" regarding a possible trade involving Young, as Carolina is still "committed to working with [Young] and helping him grow and helping him develop" as a pro signal-caller.

"We're evaluating everybody every single day," Morgan added, "not just on game day. Not only how they carry themselves on the field, but off the field as well. So, it's just one of those things where we're evaluating everything, and at the end of the day we'll get together at the end of the season and we'll see where we're at."

Back in October, it sounded like the relationship between Young and the Panthers was essentially "over." Morgan's comments indicate Young and others on the roster have plenty to prove to coaches and the front office over the second half of what will likely be a losing season for the organization.