The Carolina Panthers are quickly learning a valuable lesson this season. It’s never smart to develop a young quarterback without a life raft. In this case, we’re talking about Bryce Young — Carolina’s hopeful talisman signal-caller and the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft.
Through four games, Young has looked lost in an impossible situation. In three starts (he missed one due to injury), Young’s composite expected points added (EPA) and completion percentage over expected (CPOE) are 25th in the NFL. He is just barely eclipsing 2023 Justin Fields and Daniel Jones in this metric — some of the last quarterback company anyone should want to keep. If that weren’t enough, Young is averaging a paltry 4.9 yards per pass attempt, has just 503 yards passing, and has been sacked 11 times (!).
The rub is, I’m not even sure it’s his fault.
After trading away D.J. Moore to the Chicago Bears for last spring’s top pick, the Panthers should’ve known Young wouldn’t have a lot of help at the jump. (Never mind that they also traded away their 2024 first-round selection, which could’ve been used on a receiver like Ohio State’s “generational” Marvin Harrison Jr.) A skill group led by a kinda-but-not-really revitalized Adam Thielen is uninspiring and can’t nearly create enough consistent separation. An offensive line led by former top-six pick Ikem Ekwonu has been disappointing, to be kind. To be mean and accurate, Carolina currently employs five toll booth turnstiles hanging their quarterback out to dry every Sunday.
No quarterback could logically thrive in this kind of situation. That goes tenfold for a player like Young adjusting to and learning the speed and complexity of the professional game. How are you supposed to develop good habits if everything crumbles around you on a whim? It’s still early, but it’s becoming apparent that Carolina may already have stunted the person who was supposed to elevate their franchise.
But it’s not too late to reverse course. It looks like the Panthers may have recognized their grave mistake in Young’s early development.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Carolina and general manager Scott Fitterer are actively looking for a starting wide receiver in a trade. If the Panthers can add even one genuine playmaker for Young, it might suffice to keep him above water and help him progress. At this rate, pulling out all the stops to try and ensure Young reaches his potential isn’t the worst idea.
With that in mind, let’s break down a few receivers who could be on the trade block in the coming weeks. The deadline is a spooky October 31. The Panthers have all the time in the world to evaluate whether they want to take a swing at anyone on this list.