The Carolina Panthers should be upset that C.J. Stroud outplayed Bryce Young, again
Let's be very clear, it's still early in Bryce Young's career. That said, it's fair to say that he's not lived up to expectations that the first overall pick in a draft class is expected to have. He came into the Carolina Panthers as a beacon of hope for the team, being selected over guys like C.J. Stroud. A move that the Panthers are regretting right now.
Stroud would of course end up going the very next pick to the Houston Texans, and the rest, as they say, is history. Since arriving in Houston, the Texans have been a team on the rise, with a talented core of players who are seemingly elevated by the play of Stroud. After all, let's not forget the Texans were seen as the same class of team as the Panthers.
Many wondered if the Texans would even win a game in 2023, let alone the 10 they ended up winning. Stroud's arrival elevated the entire team around him. It was a move that set the franchise up for success for the next decade or so, barring anything unfortunate and unexpected. The Panthers, on the other hand, have fallen farther and farther despite drafting Young.
Some will blame it on the poor management of the team, the coaching, or just everyone else's play around Young. All valid points, but at the end of the day, Young is just missing his throws. Perception is reality, and Stroud used his skill to change the perception of the team he ended up on, but Young has not. You can only blame everyone else for so long before you have to ask if this guy is the answer.
Right now, Young isn't only the wrong answer, but he's the wrong question. His play has been so bad since being drafted that it's very likely he'll be out of the league when his time with Carolina ends. He's been that bad. You can't complete just 43% of your passes while throwing two very ugly picks and pretending that it was your receivers or offensive line who were at fault.
it's not the GM's fault, or the coach's fault. It's on Bryce. As mentioned before, the Texans had the same perception about them. Stroud was seen as a good player going to a bad team with no offensive line and an unproven coach. If Stroud didn't play like he did, the Texans are likely having the same things said about them as the Panthers. The thing is though, Stroud did play well. The Texans did look good and were likely improved by Stroud's play.
We see good quarterbacks excel all the time on bad teams. It's what makes great quarterbacks truly great. Young's struggles are a sign that the Panthers picked the wrong guy. That's not all though. They not only picked the wrong guy, but the more and more dreadful Young plays, the worse and worse the decision becomes. This is the kind of move that could be career-enders for those involved with the Panthers if Young doesn't improve.
Which, historically speaking, isn't likely to happen. Quarterbacks who struggle in years one and two don't tend to stick around for long unless they have a unique attribute about them. Young, right now, has no unique attribute. So he'll have to lean on his skills, which right now are very much in doubt.
Unlike a certain former Ohio State quarterback we all know and love.
