Dave Canales’ answer said it all.
Less than 24 hours after declaring that Bryce Young would remain the Carolina Panthers’ starting quarterback, Canales on Monday reversed course and announced he was benching the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL draft. When word first broke of the move prior to the revelation, it was unclear what spurred the decision. Were the Panthers inserting veteran Andy Dalton as a way of giving Young a temporary break amid an 0-2 start? Or was the move a referendum on the young passer’s development and standing with the franchise?
“After watching the film and taking in all of the information I feel like Andy gives us the best chance to win,” Canales said.
Centering the team’s immediate competitiveness rather than its long-term outlook on its priciest investment – Carolina gave up standout WR DJ Moore along with two first-round picks and two second-rounders to land the No. 1 pick from the Chicago Bears – might have been a necessary move in Canales’ eyes. But it’s no doubt a departure from where the franchise stood even just this summer.
When Canales was hired in January, perhaps his top selling point was the work he had done in rejuvenating quarterbacks in need of a reset, most notably Geno Smith with the Seattle Seahawks and Baker Mayfield with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That track record was obviously appealing to an organization coming off a disastrous debut season for Young, in which head coach Frank Reich was fired after just 11 games and the rookie posted a 73.7 passer rating. At his introductory news conference, Canales seemed to understand the driving force behind his hire.
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‘We are going to become what Bryce is great at in the passing game,’ Canales said. ‘We’re going to grow to the capacity that he can handle.’
Two games into the season, there is no growth to speak of. Worse yet, there’s little evidence that Young can be great at any part of the passing game at the NFL level.
And the blame for this year’s results can’t be evenly distributed among the offensive supporting cast. Despite the addition of two high-priced offensive guards in Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis, Young still looks skittish in the pocket. A wide receiver corps that struggled to afford Young sufficient separation last season was remade, with Diontae Johnson and first-round deep threat Xavier Legette joining Adam Thielen to provide easier looks. But Thielen’s frustration in the Panthers’ 26-3 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers was caught on camera Sunday after he was not thrown to while wide open on a third-quarter route.
Asked after the game if he was surprised about the lack of downfield throws, Johnson said, ‘we all are.’
Thielen went on to clarify that he believes the offensive problems were widespread and not ‘a Bryce Young issue.’ Canales’ move seems to suggest the two might not be mutually exclusive.
There’s little insight as to the Panthers’ plans beyond Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders, but that lack of clarity likely speaks volumes about Young’s standing given his previous importance to the organization. Of course, there are plenty of games left to be played this season, and a return to the field at some point can’t be fully ruled out. But Carolina clearly reached a breaking point. And as the New York Jets’ saga with Zach Wilson highlighted, some time on the bench is hardly a panacea.
So where does that leave Carolina for its quarterback outlook after this season? Unless Young somehow is able to restore faith in him, the team would have to consider making a significant addition in the offseason. The free-agency options are bound to be relatively bare, with the top signal-caller on the market perhaps being Sam Darnold – who might not be keen to rejoin the same franchise with which he floundered from 2021-22, albeit under a different regime.
The scarcity of options for an immediate fix might point the Panthers back to the draft.
Yes, using a top pick on another quarterback prospect just two years later is hardly ideal, especially with a roster with as many outstanding holes as this one has. But Carolina’s go-for-broke play for Young was motivated by its past attempts to tread water at the position, as experiments with Darnold, Mayfield and Teddy Bridgewater all flamed out. And while this year’s class seems to lack the clear-cut top players at the position that were readily apparent early in last year’s draft, there are several players who are stylistically quite different from Young and might help the team pivot quickly.
Here are five potential targets for the Panthers if they do decide to pursue a quarterback in the 2025 NFL draft:
Panthers’ QB options in 2025 NFL draft
1. Quinn Ewers, Texas
The former No. 1 overall recruit didn’t take the college football world by storm in the fashion many predicted, as he sat out his first year at Ohio State before transferring and having a pedestrian debut season at Texas in 2022. But Ewers has made continual and steady progress since then, and his ascent looks to be continuing this fall. Properly capturing a college passer’s arm strength can be difficult, but there’s little question that Ewers is in rare territory in this category, with his ability to uncork deep shots or tight-window throws nearly unmatched at this level. With the 6-2, 210-pound passer showing more refinement and composure in other parts of his game, his projection might not be one solely rooted in his immense potential. After Young, he might be the kind of swing that the Panthers need to consider taking.
2. Carson Beck, Georgia
The presumptive favorite to be the top quarterback taken in April, Beck has built on the promise he showed last season in his first year as a starter, completing 68.3% of his passes and throwing seven touchdowns with no interceptions in three games so far this year. The 6-4, 220-pound passer can open up the Panthers’ offense with his attacking mindset, though he’s at his best working the middle of the field by leveraging his knack for timing and precision. Beck has enjoyed the luxuries of a Bulldogs roster replete with top NFL-caliber talent, leaving him a questionable entity in the face of pressure or when forced to operate outside of structure. But he could be the kind of rhythmic pocket passer who would thrive with Canales’ tutelage.
3. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
Few quarterback prospects in recent years have as much experience operating in subpar conditions as Sanders, who has had to serve as Colorado’s catalyst despite lacking any semblance of a run game or reliability up front. The results haven’t always been ideal, as his Football Bowl Subdivision-worst 52 sacks last season illustrated. But his poise and precision make him an appealing option for a rebooting franchise. Still, even if Carolina were interested, recall that Deion Sanders said this offseason when discussing his son’s NFL draft future, ‘It’s certain cities that ain’t gonna happen. It’s going to be an Eli (Manning).’ Given the Panthers’ rampant dysfunction, would the Sanders family object to this as a possible landing spot?
4. Cam Ward, Miami (Fla.)
We’re firmly into wild-card territory with an otherwise unproven group of passers, so it’s only fitting to start this section off with Ward. A two-time transfer who jumped from Incarnate Word and Washington State, Ward is the most electrifying option on this list thanks to his rapid release, live arm and penchant for operating off platform. While he’s still more of a project than teams might like from a fifth-year starter, the 6-2, 223-pound passer is off to a blazing start with the Hurricanes, completing 73% of his attempts for 11 touchdowns with one interception. There’s still a lot of ‘no, no, yes’ that stems from his superior abilities compensating for some suspect decision-making, but there’s little doubt that his scintillating skill set would be well-received on a Carolina offense that has largely been rudderless.
5. Drew Allar, Penn State
The former five-star recruit had an uneven first season as a starter in 2023, as he struggled in the Nittany Lions’ biggest games. This season, however, Allar looks rejuvenated by the arrival of offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki and his aggressive scheme. If Allar continues on this upswing, NFL teams will have no trouble selling themselves on a 6-5, 238-pound passer who has been – unfairly – likened to Josh Allen thanks to his overwhelming arm strength and the ability to deliver strikes on the move. While his pro coaching staff will have to help him find better consistency, he would provide a high-upside option on which the Panthers could pin their hopes.
Other NFL draft QB candidates for Panthers
Jaxson Dart, Mississippi
The early slate has been easy, but the 6-2, 225-pound USC transfer has sliced through his first three opponents for an 83% completion rate with 1,172 yards (an FBS best) and eight touchdowns. His stock, however, will hinge on how he fares against far better competition within the Southeastern Conference.
Conner Weigman, Texas A&M
A foot injury sidelined the former five-star recruit for all but four games in 2023, and the early returns on his bounce-back campaign have been unfavorable. Weigman faceplanted in the season-opening loss to Notre Dame and suffered an AC joint sprain in his throwing shoulder. Still, the 6-3, 215-pounder has a tantalizing package of physical tools, even if he’s short on experience.
Garrett Nussmeier, LSU
The son of Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks coach Doug Nussmeier won’t have any trouble with name recognition in league circles. The younger Nussmeier has shown early promise in taking over for Heisman Trophy winner and No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels, though he still has a long way to go before his draft stock takes shape.
