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When the Carolina Panthers made the shocking decision to bench Bryce Young less than two years after drafting him No. 1 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, several fans felt the organization had failed the player.
Yes, Young played poorly. But nobody could possibly play well in that situation, right?
Well, veteran Andy Dalton proved that theory wrong on Sunday when he threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns in a 36-22 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. And now Young is left to take heat from fans and several ex-players, including controversial wideout Antonio Brown.
“ESPN spent all week talkin’ bout feeling bad for Bryce Young ’cause he didn’t have weapons. Then Andy Dalton comes in and throws 300+ and 3 TDs 😂😂,” Brown tweeted.
But the ridicule didn’t stop there.
“They put in washed Andy Dalton to test the offense and make sure that Bryce Young was really that a–,” Brown also said.
Former Panthers Legend Thomas Davis Puts Bryce Young In Crosshairs
And he wasn’t the only one to criticize Young. Former Carolina Panthers team captain Thomas Davis was far more diplomatic than Brown. But even he had to acknowledge that many of Young’s problems were self-inflicted.
“I want to start this tweet by saying I love Bryce Young and I still have faith that he’s going to have an outstanding career in the NFL,” Davis wrote. This message is for all of you that completely threw the entire team under the bus to protect one person. Stop listening to the commentators that don’t watch film!
“I’m not saying this team is Super Bowl ready but for ya’ll to act like these coaches and other players don’t matter and this team isn’t improved from last year’s team. I just hope that y’all are as loud with the retractions as y’all were with the disrespect.
“Not one player, coach, or owner in the NFL wants to go out and just lose games. Every move made this offseason was to put this team in position to win games. Big shoutout to the old man Andy Dalton for proving what I’m saying and have said.”
Maybe Young gets another shot. But it may well be with another team. It feels as if his fate in Carolina is sealed. And he only has himself to blame.