Former NY Jets quarterback Zach Wilson and struggling Carolina Panthers signal-caller Bryce Young are birds of a feather in that they both came into the NFL destined for stardom and fell flat on their face. Wilson was being put in JaMarcus Russell discussions in his Jets career.
Wilson was so bad that midway through his second season, Robert Saleh made the decision to bench him. While he played most of the 2023 season, that was only due to Aaron Rodgers' injury. Wilson has since been traded to the Denver Broncos, but he is relegated to third-string, and replaced on the Jets by veteran Tyrod Taylor.
While Wilson has made his mark as one of the worst picks in NFL history, Young has somehow topped him. In just 18 games (only two of which he won by 15-13 and 9-7 scorelines, respectively), the Panthers have already made the shocking decision to bench Young and start Andy Dalton.
Wilson supporters, who feverishly snap up any bit of positivity they can find, can now put another win in their back pocket. Wilson is officially "not as bad as Bryce Young, who could be the worst No. 1 pick of the Super Bowl era." It's time for a celebration! Non-alcoholic drinks all around for the people in Utah!
Bryce Young has started 18 games. The team is 2-16 in those games, he has 11 TDs and 13 INTs, and he’s gone through two head coaches, with one being fired midseason. The Panthers organization has been in as bad a place as it possibly could be. A complete mess. https://t.co/G2Kzhu9h3t
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 16, 2024
Bryce Young is actually worse than Zach Wilson
Wilson, who went 12-21 as the Jets starter, has Young beat in every category except completion percentage, which can be manipulated with a conservative offense.
Wilson has thrown for more passing yards per game (185.1 vs 173.4), has a better touchdown/interception ratio (23:25 vs 11:13), and earned a better passer rating (72.3 vs 70.9) than Young.
The better point of comparison is Russell, who was 7-18 in charge of the Raiders. Young has him beat in passing yards per game and passer rating, but not touchdown percentage or yards per attempt. Young has just four games with a passer rating over 90.0, while Russell and his notoriously bad work ethic had six.
At least the Jets didn't give up their best skill position player, multiple first-round picks, and some second-rounders just to move up and select Wilson. Wilson was also benched because the Jets had a playoff-caliber roster hurt by bad quarterback play, while the Panthers are still a developing young team.
Wilson is a terrible pick, have no fear. However, Young has proven to be much worse. He hasn't shown the flashes of brilliant talent Wilson has in his career, and he isn't even grinding out wins. Good luck, Carolina.
