Panthers select Young

Carolina selected Alabama QB Bryce Young with the first pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Young’s size (5’10, 204 pounds) garnered most of the attention pre-draft. Just note that he missed only one game in two starting seasons. (Young suffered an A/C joint sprain in his right shoulder last October.) The former five-star recruit wins both inside the pocket and out with an uncanny ability to feel pressure and deliver an accurate ball. Across two starting seasons, Young racked up 8,200 yards, 79 TDs, and only 12 INTs. In Carolina, he’s the heavy favorite to start Week 1 over Andy Dalton. A WR corps of Adam Thielen, D.J. Chark, and Terrace Marshall Jr. isn’t ideal for year one. But we’re optimistic about the QB’s long-term prospects.

The Panthers fired GM Scott Fitterer on Monday. It’s not much of a surprise. Owner David Tepper fired HC Frank Reich after a 1-10 start, and the team proceeded to win only one more game. Overall, Carolina went 14-37 across three seasons with Fitterer as GM. A lack of progress from Bryce Young will make this job challenging for any incoming GM. Of course, the Panthers will also be without a Round 1 pick this year after trading up for Young. We’ll monitor potential HC/GM candidates in the coming weeks.

Coming off a season-high 312 passing yards on a season-high 8.7 yards per attempt in Week 16, Panthers QB Bryce Young crashed back to earth in the Week 17 shutout loss to the Jaguars. He completed 19 of 32 passes (59%) for 112 yards (3.5 YPA), 0 TDs, and one INT. That against a Jacksonville defense that entered the week 29th in passing yards allowed. It was Young's 10th game of the season with fewer than 200 passing yards; his ninth under 6.0 yards per pass attempt; and his seventh without a passing TD. It's been a worrisome rookie season for the first overall pick. He's had little help from his coaching staff, offensive line, or pass catchers. But he's also done very little to elevate the offense. Young will be buried in the 2024 redraft QB rankings. And he's closer to a sell-low than a buy in dynasty.

The Panthers fired HC Frank Reich. He didn't even make it a full season in Carolina, going 1-10 in his 11 games. An offensive-minded coach, Reich's Panthers offense sits 30th in yards per game, 29th in points per game, and 31st in offensive DVOA. A poor group of skill-position players didn't help the cause, but Reich did very little to elevate the offense or rookie QB Bryce Young. Special teams coordinator Chris Tabor will finish out the season as interim HC, while OC Thomas Brown takes back over as play-caller. We'll see if the moves lead to any changes in player usage, but don't expect the offense to be noticeably better.

Panthers QB Bryce Young completed 21 of 38 passes for 185 yards with no TDs or INTs in Week 10’s loss vs. the Bears. In some respects, the rookie was better on Thursday night than he did in Week 9. At least he didn’t throw 3 INTs, including 2 pick-sixes. Still, Young has failed to throw for over 250 passing yards in a game this season and should be nowhere near fantasy lineups in Week 11 vs. the Cowboys’ defense that ranks fourth in total defense DVOA.

Panthers QB Bryce Young had his best game of the season by many metrics in Week 8. He undoubtedly had his worst game of the season in Week 9. The rookie completed 24 of 39 passes (62%) for just 173 yards (4.4 YPA), one TD, and three INTs in a 27-13 loss to the Colts. Two of Young's INTs were returned for TDs by CB Kenny Moore. Young seemed to struggle to decipher Indianapolis' coverages all game. And the Panthers had nothing working downfield. Outside of TE Hayden Hurst's 48-yarder on a busted coverage, the team's longest completion went for just 11 yards. Up-and-down play is not a surprise for a rookie QB. But it'll make Young pretty much impossible to trust as a QB1 going forward.