Anthony Richardson, Bryce Young and More Young NFL Players Who Need Change of Scenery
The arrival of promising young talent is an annual source of hype around the NFL. These new players, we like to think, can be the catalyst of turning around a franchise or help fortify a Super Bowl contender.
Reality is not always so kind.
In fairness to these players, the context of these situations matter. They might be struggling because of individual issues, but uncontrollable factors—injury, coaching changes, roster weaknesses and so on—could be contributing to an unimpressive current status, too.
Each player highlighted was selected in either the first or second round of a recent draft and is 24 years old or younger. Each one is also still on his rookie contract, though no first-year players are included.
The one outlier is a standout player whose situation, quite frankly, is doing him a great disservice in a contract year.
Anthony Richardson, QB, Indianapolis Colts
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When the Indianapolis Colts used the No. 4 pick of the 2023 draft on Anthony Richardson, they acknowledged the Florida product would need time. Though a physically gifted quarterback, he only started one year and was very inconsistent in that season.
He needed reps. He needed game experience. It might not be pretty, but he needed to play.
Well, the Colts have changed their mind.
After a controversial decision to temporarily take himself out of a game because of fatigue, Richardson has been benched. He certainly hadn't played well in 10 starts, and performance still matters. Indy, however, showed a total lack of patience in what everyone agreed—or so it seemed—was always a long-term deal.
Richardson is just 22 years old. This is not a eulogy on his career.
But if Indianapolis is willing to abandon a self-recognized project after 10 measly games, it's clear he's not valued as highly anymore. Good luck repairing the mutual confidence and trust in each other now.
Bryce Young, QB, Carolina Panthers
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Bryce Young, similarly, is facing an uphill battle.
As the No. 1 pick of that 2023 draft, the Heisman Trophy-winning Alabama star headed to the Carolina Panthers. He entered a horrible situation that led to a mid-year coaching change after just 11 games.
From the very beginning, the Panthers have failed Young. That part can coexist with his undeniable in-game issues.
The most damning piece of the situation is that first-year coach Dave Canales—an offensive coordinator hired for the exact reason of developing Young—benched the 23-year-old after two games. Young has since rejoined the lineup, but only as a short-term replacement until Andy Dalton returns from injuries caused by a car accident.
Again, like Richardson, is the idea of Young and Carolina figuring it out together even plausible? There are few examples in NFL history of a QB getting benched and sparking his career in the same spot.
Tyquan Thornton, WR, New England Patriots
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As a rookie in 2022, Tyquan Thornton made a splash in his second-ever appearance for the New England Patriots.
The speedster from Baylor caught four passes for 37 yards and a touchdown, adding three carries for 16 yards and another score. He looked like an exciting, versatile piece for a rebuilding offense.
Two years later, it remains Thornton's best NFL performance.
After playing in 66 percent of snaps as a rookie, he dipped to 42 percent in 2023 and is down to 30 percent in 2024. Thornton is behind four receivers on the depth chart, and three of them—Demario Douglas, Ja'Lynn Polk and Kayshon Boutte—are also 24 or younger.
Thornton's time in New England must be running thin.
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Treylon Burks, WR, Tennessee Titans
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Treylon Burks has been a disappointment, period. What doesn't help him, however, is the context of draft night.
Instead of workout out an extension with A.J. Brown, the Tennessee Titans dealt him to the Philadelphia Eagles for a first-round pick. Tennessee used the 18th overall selection in the 2022 draft on Burks.
So, in essence, he was viewed as Brown's direct replacement.
That being the immediate expectation was unfair, of course; Burks tallied 33 catches for 444 yards. Still, at least he produced enough as a rookie to think improvement could happen on a more typical timeline.
Unfortunately, we've since seen an injury-plagued stretch with 20 catches in 16 appearances from him during the Titans' last 24 games. Even after Tennessee traded DeAndre Hopkins, Burks is behind Calvin Ridley, Tyler Boyd and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine on the depth chart.
Burks is still a worthwhile experiment at just 24 years old, yet the Titans can say they've given him a fair shot.
Kenyon Green, OG, Houston Texans
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I'm not aiming to pile on Kenyon Green, who exited the Houston Texans' loss to the New York Jets because of an injury. He's expected to miss the rest of the 2024 season, per NFL Media's Ian Rapoport.
Moving forward, nevertheless, the Texans face a tough question.
Green, a first-round pick in 2022, started 14 games as a rookie. He struggled, sure, but so did Houston collectively; there was hope for improvement under a new coaching staff. Green missed the Texans' breakout 2023 campaign with a shoulder injury, however, and he endured a rough 2024 season even before this recent setback.
Houston had already explored a trade for Green, whose fifth-year option for 2026 will be declined this offseason.
Green, like Burks, has potential worth trying to extract. But the Texans, like the Titans, wound be justified in moving on.
Azeez Ojulari, Edge, New York Giants
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Two things coexist here.
Right now, the New York Giants are going nowhere. They're lumbering through the likely end of the Daniel Jones era. After the season, conversely, Azeez Ojulari very likely will be going somewhere else.
The organization would be wise to net something in return, assuming that re-signing Ojulari is not in the plans. There has been no indication the Giants will retain him, which is both unsurprising and understandable given the presence of Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux.
Again, don't lose him for nothing, New York.
Ojulari, who's collected six sacks already in 2024, deserves a chance to play out his contract year on a more competitive team.
Emmanuel Forbes, CB, Washington Commanders
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The easiest way to explain how players were chosen for this topic is by asking a simple question: What's next?
If the answer is "I don't know," that's a good starting point.
Emmanuel Forbes is a prime example of this dilemma. A first-round pick in 2023, the Washington Commanders benched him after just two starts as a rookie. Forbes has since been everything from a stop-gap starter to a backup to a healthy inactive.
What's next? I'm not sure Washington knows, either.
The players ahead of him on the depth chart—Benjamin St-Juste, Mike Sainristil and Noah Igbinoghene—are no older than 27, as well. Forbes' path to snaps in Washington is steadily narrowing.
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