The Bryce is Right?

The Carolina Panthers have a bigger problem at quarterback than many care to admit. To his credit, General Manager Dan Morgan said the right thing this week, but more on that in a moment.

Bryce Young is far from a lock to be the Panthers quarterback for the next decade. After three seasons, the evaluation is becoming clearer. There are moments when Young can lead a team to victory. There are flashes of poise, accuracy, and command. But it is equally clear that his physical limitations prevent him from carrying a team the way Cam Newton once did, even when Cam was surrounded by a shortage of elite playmakers.

That brings us back to Dan Morgan’s comments. Morgan indicated the Panthers need a younger backup quarterback, someone who can develop and, importantly, push Bryce Young. Andy Dalton filled the veteran backup role admirably over the past three seasons, but his lone start this year made it obvious. The game has passed him by.

This is where the real conundrum emerges. Bryce Young has all the makings of a coach killer. The weight of being the number one overall pick, and the massive price the organization paid to select him, will always hang over the franchise. Fair or not, quarterbacks taken at that slot are expected to elevate teams, not require ideal conditions to function.

For years, the refrain has been that Bryce needs more help around him. Yet Cam Newton rarely had that luxury. Outside of an aging Steve Smith and a consistently excellent, borderline great, Greg Olsen, Cam often dragged undermanned offenses to relevance through sheer force of will.

The Panthers appear committed to Young for 2026 and likely 2027. That much seems settled. But his ceiling also appears increasingly defined. The prudent path forward is to draft a younger quarterback and develop him, someone who could eventually grow into a competent NFL starter if Young stalls.

The reality, however, is uncomfortable. What we saw this past season is likely the best case scenario over the next two years. The highs, like the Atlanta game where Bryce looked worthy of his draft slot, and the lows, like Seattle, where he appeared overwhelmed. That level of inconsistency is simply not good enough.

It would not be surprising to see Carolina target a quarterback early in a future draft, not 2026. But if the results remain similar, an even bigger problem arises. The Panthers will likely find themselves drafting in the middle of the pack once again. That means another major trade haul would be required to move up, effectively restarting the entire process that put the franchise in this position to begin with.

And that may be the most concerning part of all.