It was previously reported that Bryce Young of the Carolina Panthers and those close to the quarterback were "very shocked" to learn on Monday he'd been benched by first-year head coach Dave Canales coming off two blowout losses to start the season.
For an article published Wednesday, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler expanded on Young's reaction to the news.
"Young was not only shocked by the decision but also upset," Fowler explained. "'He's p—,' a source said."
Panthers beat writer Joseph Person of The Athletic shared earlier this week that Canales felt he had to "make a major change" and start veteran Andy Dalton at the 1-1 Las Vegas Raiders this coming Sunday because the Panthers were "noncompetitive" over their first two losses.
NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated then said on Tuesday that members of the Los Angeles Chargers staff "saw a quarterback (Young) who’d stopped looking downfield, struggled to see the field from the pocket and kept dropping his eyes and looking at the rush" during Carolina's 26-3 home loss to the Chargers this past Sunday.
"The Panthers saw a tentative quarterback whose confidence was clearly affected," Fowler said about Young. "The receivers were growing frustrated. So the Panthers weighed this question: Can they wait for Young's confidence to return or will the continued poor play of the offense risk losing the team?"
According to ESPN stats, Young ended Week 2 ranked last in the NFL among qualified players with a 9.1 adjusted QBR and a 44.1 passer rating on the season. He recorded no touchdown passes and three interceptions before he was benched.
Some have suggested since Monday that the Panthers ultimately will trade Young, the first pick of the 2023 NFL Draft who now holds a 2-16 career record as an NFL starter. Fowler said on Wednesday that he doesn't "get the sense Carolina plans to trade [Young] right now." Fowler also indicated the relationship between the 23-year-old and the Panthers may already be broken beyond repair.
"The issues that resulted in the benching, that bubbled under the surface for a while, might make it tough for both parties to coexist eventually, depending on how Young improves his game behind the scenes," Fowler added.
In short, it sounds like Young and his camp are already thinking about the signal-caller moving on from the Panthers as soon as next offseason.
