Not all highly drafted quarterbacks are created equally. Some, like C.J. Stroud, prove they’re ready to play right away. Others, like Zach Wilson, get ruined by playing too soon in bad situations.
Bryce Young clearly belongs in the latter category. And if New England Patriots fans are still wondering why Drake Maye hasn’t replaced Jacoby Brissett, they need only look at what’s happened to Young in Carolina.
Carolina Panthers Bench Bryce Young After 0-2 Start
The Panthers on Monday decided to bench Young after just two games. It reportedly was a collaborative decision made by head coach Dave Canales, general manager Dan Morgan, and executive vice president Brandt Tillis.
Looking to avoid an 0-3 start, Carolina will start Andy Dalton at quarterback when it visits the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.
Speaking to reporters today, #Panthers coach Dave Canales says:
— It was his decision after watching film, then he consulted the team’s other decision makers.
— Andy Dalton gives them the best chance to win this week.
— No plans to add another QB.
— Any message from to Bryce is… https://t.co/1BjuabEE6C— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 16, 2024
Young’s benching is shocking — but warranted.
The No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Young has been one of the league’s worst quarterbacks since entering the NFL. He completed just 59.8% of his passes for 2,877 yards as a rookie while throwing 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
During the offseason, the Panthers overhauled their offense to surround Young with better players and coaches. They hired an offensive-minded head coach in Canales, spent money on the offensive line, drafted receiver Xavier Legette, and traded for wideout Diontae Johnson.
But the early returns were ugly.
Young was awful in the opener, completing 13 of 30 passes for zero touchdowns while throwing two picks in a 47-10 loss to the New Orleans Saints. He was equally bad on Sunday when he completed 18 of 26 passes for zero TDs while throwing one pick in a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. He was sacked six times over the two games.
Young remains a talented quarterback and still is just 23 years old. He should get another shot, either in Carolina or elsewhere.
But there’s also a chance that Young is irreversibly ruined, that his days as the Panthers’ franchise QB are over. And if that’s the case, the Panthers have nobody to blame but themselves.
What Patriots Should Learn from Young’s Situation
Young now is the poster child for a quarterback who played before he or his team was ready. And it all started with a bad offensive line — something the Patriots can relate to.
Young was sacked 62 times as a rookie, good for second-most in the league behind Sam Howell’s 65. Young played in one fewer game than Howell, so he might’ve led the league in sacks if he played a full 17-game slate.
However, the real story is found in the advanced metrics.
The Panthers allowed QB pressures on 41.1% of dropbacks last season, the fourth-highest rate in the NFL, per TruMedia. They also allowed the fourth-most overall pressures (280) and posted the third-worst sack rate (10%). Their pass-block win rate ranked second-worst at 22.01%.
Young never should’ve played behind that offensive line. When the pass blocking is that bad, a young quarterback has no time to focus on other areas of improvement, such as footwork, timing, and diagnosing coverages. They’re in straight-up survival mode.
The Carolina Panthers have mishandled the entire QB situation from beginning to end. From the evaluation/valuation, to selection, to development, support , and utilization. A total fail over the past 24 months, when this “current” process began.
— Louis Riddick (@LRiddickESPN) September 16, 2024
Patriots fans saw a similar unraveling from Mac Jones, who went from a promising young quarterback in 2021 to an unplayable disaster in 2023. He also had zero chance alongside a wretched O-line, a subpar group of receivers, and a disjointed offensive coaching staff.
Once Jones was benched for the first time last season, there was no turning back. He had no future in New England.
The Patriots can’t afford similar failures in their development of Maye, who was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. If the Patriots start Maye before he or the offense is ready, they’d risk setting him up for failure and a permanent slide down the depth chart.
“The worst thing … is you put a guy in before he’s ready, and then you have to take him out,” de facto general manager Eliot Wolf told the Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan earlier this month.
The Patriots wisely are playing the long game with Maye, who didn’t run a pro-style offense in college. They brought him along slowly in training camp, forcing the UNC product to focus on the basics before showcasing his elite talent.
The coaching staff was rewarded for its efforts when Maye broke out midway through the preseason. Brissett still won the quarterback competition, but Maye made it close.
The work isn’t done, however. And, with Young’s benching serving as a cautionary tale, Jerod Mayo and Company must stay the course with the future of the franchise.
Should Drake Maye Replace Jacoby Brissett?
Maye’s late-summer performance likely moved up his timeline. And the Patriots’ unconventional splitting of reps in practice — Maye is seeing roughly 30% of reps with the first-team offense — suggests they want him to start sometime this season.
But Maye shouldn’t see the field anytime soon, at least not until the offensive line settles down.
Brissett took an absolute beating over the first two weeks. Through two games, the Patriots have the third-worst pressure rate (44.3%), are tied for the ninth-most pressures allowed (27), and have the fourth-worst pass-block win rate, per TruMedia. Brissett took just four sacks but was hit 14 times, tied for eighth-most in the NFL.
Consequently, the Patriots have received alarmingly low production from the receivers, some of whom have struggled to get open. In the first two games, New England receivers combined for just 85 yards and one touchdown on 11 catches.
That’s not a good situation for any rookie quarterback, let alone one who entered the league as a raw prospect.
Furthermore, despite the chaos around him, Brissett has played well. He did a masterful job of managing pressure and adjusting protections in the Week 1 win — certainly better than Maye could’ve done — and nearly led the Patriots to a victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
Brissett deserves to keep his job, and it sounds like he will.
“For me, I’m focused on the [New York] Jets,” Mayo said during a Monday morning WEEI interview when asked about possibly starting Maye. “I’m not looking that far out. As an organization, we’re still 100% behind Jacoby.”
With Drake Maye getting 30% of first team reps, is that building towards something soon? What are HC Jerod Mayo's, thoughts on the upcoming Jets? #NFL @WEEI pic.twitter.com/iNagkw0TEW
— The Greg Hill Show (@TheGregHillShow) September 16, 2024
As they should be.
Maye’s time will come, and it could come soon. Assuming he’s doing all the right things behind the scenes, he should get a chance sometime before the Week 14 bye.
But the Patriots shouldn’t rush it unless they want to create Bryce Young 2.0.