NFL Insider on Bryce Young's Demotion to QB2: Panthers 'Should Bench Their Program'

Even though Bryce Young was generally regarded as the main problem for the Carolina Panthers' offense through the first two weeks of the NFL season, at least one person in the league thinks he was far from the only issue.

Per The Athletic's Dianna Russini, the person texted that the Panthers "should bench their program" upon hearing that Young was being replaced as the starter by Andy Dalton.

Even though the season is only two games old, Young's performance more than justified the decision to bench him. The 23-year-old went 31-of-56 (55.4 percent) for 245 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions.

Going beyond the numbers indicates how far gone Young seems from the player who was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft. He was jumping in the air before throwing the ball multiple times in the Panthers' Week 2 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

It would be unfair to put all of the blame for Carolina's struggles on Young. The defense has allowed an NFL-high 73 points through two games. Some of that will be mitigated if the offense gets better under Dalton, but no one views this roster as being a quarterback away from contending.

Carolina has had seven different head coaches—four full-time, three interim—since David Tepper bought the franchise in May 2018. Matt Rhule is the only coach who was hired by Tepper to last more than one season. He went 11-27 in three seasons before being fired in October 2022.

In addition to the coaching and front office instability, Tepper has also received attention for his actions away from the field. He was fined $300,000 by the NFL in December for unacceptable conduct after appearing to throw a drink at a fan during the Panthers' 26-0 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

During the offseason, Tepper went viral after video showed him confronting the owner of a bar in the Charlotte area because the message board outside of the venue posted a message that read, "Please let the coach & GM pick this year."

The message was a reference to the speculation that Tepper was the one who forced the Young pick when members of the football staff preferred either C.J. Stroud or Anthony Richardson.

Tepper is generally regarded as one of the worst team owners in the entire NFL. The franchise has a league-worst 31-70 record since he took control.