Panthers owner opens up on Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud decision

Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper insists he's all-in on rookie quarterback Bryce Young after Tepper fired head coach Frank Reich on Monday and as Houston Texans first-year pro C.J. Stroud is enjoying a stellar debut season. 

"We are totally confident in that pick," Tepper said about Young during a Tuesday news conference, per Kevin Patra of the NFL's website. 

In March, the Panthers traded with the Chicago Bears to grab the first overall pick in this year's draft that ultimately was used on Young instead of Stroud. Reich said in October that "our eyes were on Bryce Young from start to finish," and it's thought by some members of the NFL community that Reich's evaluation of the signal-callers coupled with Carolina's 1-10 record resulted in the coach's dismissal after just 11 games in charge. 

According to ESPN stats, Young ended Week 12 ranked 29th in the NFL among qualified players with a 32.3 adjusted QBR and 31st with a 74.9 passer rating on the season. To compare, Stroud is eighth with a 62.7 adjusted QBR, sixth with a 100.8 passer rating, tied for seventh with 19 passing touchdowns and first with an average of 296.9 passing yards per game. 

"Now, it's been reported, and we've talked about it, originally, we were going to go with the No. 2 pick, and we thought we'd get C.J. because we thought the Texans were going to pick Bryce," Tepper added during his comments. "Listen, we preferred Bryce. He was our No. 1 pick."

As of early Tuesday afternoon, oddschecker listed Stroud as the runaway favorite at -9000 betting odds to earn Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. Young, meanwhile, is not part of OROY conversations heading into December. 

Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio wrote on Tuesday morning that Tepper's commitment to Young "complicates" the Panthers' coaching search because "plenty of coaches will not want to coach [Young], based simply on his height." It remains to be seen if Tepper will force a coach-quarterback marriage and if top candidates will pass on meeting with the Panthers because Tepper strongly supports Young.