The Carolina Panthers decided to demote Bryce Young two games into his sophomore season in the NFL. Young, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft who the Panthers went all-in to get, has just not worked so far during his time in the league, and after his latest difficult performance during his second season as a professional, new Carolina coach Dave Canales benched him for veteran signal caller Andy Dalton.
The way the Panthers have handled Young — a talented prospect but one who has his limitations and was not exactly dropped into the best situation in the league as a rookie — led to a ton of criticism, with ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. carving them up on television on Tuesday morning. And later in the day, LeBron James got in on the pile-on, as he took to Twitter to offer up a message of support to Young where he made clear he does not view his current situation as his fault.
Bryce Young hold ya head Young
!! Rooting for you and know this ain’t on you! Continue to put the work in and it shall prevail!
— LeBron James (@KingJames) September 18, 2024
It’s unclear how long Young, who has started every time he’s been active during his career, will sit and watch behind Dalton. Through two games this year, Young has gone 31-for-56 (55.36 percent) for 245 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions. Reports indicated that he did not see the team’s decision to bench him coming.