Bears Fans Should Hate Seeing Bryce Young Benched

Ryan Poles' trading the No.1 overall pick in the 2023 draft to the Carolina Panthers might go down as the best trade in Bears history. The trade landed the Bears D.J. Moore, Darnell Wright, Tyrique Stevenson, Keenan Allen, Caleb Williams, and Carolina's 2025 second-round pick.

On the other end, the Panthers selected quarterback Bryce Young with the first overall pick. Young walked into a disastrous situation in Carolina as a rookie and didn't play well. He ended his rookie year completing 59.8% of his passes for 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Young's disappointing rookie year led the Panthers to be the worst team in football yet again.

During the 2024 offseason, the Panthers made major changes on the offensive side of the ball to help Young's development. They hired Dave Canales to be their head coach, As the offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay, Canales had helped Baker Mayfield revive his career.

The Panthers also gave out massive contracts to offensive guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis, traded for wide receiver Dionte Johnson, and drafted Xavier Legette.

These additions haven't seemed to help Young improve. Through two games, Young has only completed 55.4% of his passes for 245 yards and thrown three interceptions. Thanks to Young's poor play, the Panthers have gotten blown out in their first two games of the season. This has led the Panthers to bench Young in favor of veteran Andy Dalton, according to Tom Pelissero.

Bears News: Bryce Young Benched in Favor of Andy Dalton

The Panthers' benching of Young doesn't bode well for the status of the Bears' second-round pick from the Panthers this season. With Young as the quarterback, it looked like the Panthers were en route to being the worst team in the NFL again. But now that Dalton is the starter, the Panthers have a better chance of winning games.

Last season, Dalton started one game for the Panthers, completing 58.4% of his passes for 361 yards and two touchdowns. While Dalton's completion percentage isn't much higher than Young's, he didn't turn the ball over, which, over the long run, can lead to more wins.

The last time Dalton was a team's full-time starter was with the New Orleans Saints. In 2022, Dalton started 14 games, completing 66.7% of his passes for 2,871 yards, 19 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. Dalton went 6-8 in his 14 starts that season. While Dalton's play wasn't terrible, the Saints' defense was a top-ten defense that season.

Dalton won't have that luxury with the Panthers, but even winning three or four games would mean the Bears pick is lower. While Dalton certainly isn't what he once was, his veteran understanding of the game will give the Panthers offense an edge they didn't have with Young.

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