Bryce Young Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
ArticlesNFLBy Ben Axelrod on

One of the biggest stories of the 2024 NFL season has already come in the form of the Carolina Panthers benching quarterback Bryce Young after just two games.

And it doesn’t appear that the No. 1 pick of the 2023 NFL Draft is taking kindly to the demotion, based on a new report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

“He’s pissed,” a source told Fowler, citing the vision for the new Panthers offense being abandoned after just two games.

The Panthers’ decision to bench Young comes 18 games into the former Heisman Trophy winner’s NFL career. After leading Carolina to an underwhelming 2-14 record as a starter as a rookie, his sophomore season at the professional level hasn’t been much better as he has completed just 55.4 percent of his passes for 245 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions with the Panthers being outscored 73-13 in losses to the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Chargers to open the season.

Following Sunday’s 26-3 defeat to the Chargers, first-year Panthers head coach Dave Canales insisted that Young remained his team’s starting quarterback. But come Monday, he was singing a different tune, announcing that veteran quarterback Andy Dalton will start in the team’s Week 3 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.

As for Young, his NFL career already appears to be at a crossroads and it will be interesting to see what his future is in Carolina. In the meantime, he’ll serve as Dalton’s backup as the Panthers prepare to face a Raiders team coming off an upset victory over the Baltimore Ravens.

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[ESPN]

About Ben Axelrod

Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.

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