Nick Saban Talks Bryce Young Benching, Thinks Panthers' Roster Added to Struggles

After the Carolina Panthers opted to bench Bryce Young after Week 2, one person who knows the young quarterback well chimed in.

Nick Saban, who coached Young during his time at Alabama, gave his thoughts on the Panthers' decision to bench the 2023 No. 1 overall pick on the Pat McAfee Show on Friday, saying that Carolina didn't have a roster that could allow Young to find success early in his career.

""You guys have heard me say before, quarterback is a really hard position to play if the people around you don't play well," Saban said (3:11 mark). "Now I think sometimes the quarterback gets too much credit and I also think sometimes when things don't go well, the quarterback gets too much blame. Do they have the kind of players around Bryce Young that even gives him a chance to be successful? That's one of the bad things about being the first guy picked in the draft, you may go to a team that doesn't have all the pieces that you need... Carolina did not and they have to build this thing from the ground up. I hate to see Bryce get benched, but I also don't see a lot of opportunity for him to be successful based on the skill players they have around him, the offensive line they have around him and I think he's the type of player that can operate well when he has good players around him.""

Young had a forgetful rookie year, throwing for 2,877 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions as the Panthers finished a league-worst 2-15.

His struggles have continued through the first two weeks of the 2024 season. He completed 13 of his 30 passes for 161 passing yards and a pair of interceptions in a 47-10 loss to the New Orleans Saints before throwing for 84 yards and an interception on Sunday in a 26-3 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

But Saban has faith in the quarterback who won the 2021 Heisman Trophy while playing for the Crimson Tide. The legendary coach thinks Young will learn from his early mistakes and step up once he's given the opportunity to start again.

"I think he's going to be positive about trying to learn and grow from this situation," Saban said. "He's always been a guy that sort of improved from his failings, so hopefully this will be an opportunity for him to do it again."

In the meantime, Young will look to continue developing and improving from the bench while playing behind Andy Dalton.