Five Potential Landing Spots for Bryce Young
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young was benched after an abysmal first two weeks of 2024. Young passed for just 245 yards with no touchdowns, three interceptions and a 55.4 completion percentage before head coach Dave Canales had enough and deferred to the journeyman Andy Dalton. Reports quickly came out that several teams reached out to the Panthers about trading for Young, which were quickly rebuffed by the Panthers. Though it’s unlikely that Young will get traded anytime soon, it would be fun to look at five hypothetical landing spots for him.
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins are one of the few teams where Young could start right away; Tua Tagovailoa is on injured reserve and de facto starter Skylar Thompson left Week Three with a rib injury. This would be the preferred destination since Young would not only get playing time, but he would also get to learn from some great football minds in Miami. First, Mike McDaniel is one of the best offensive playcallers in the league today, finishing with the most offensive yards and second-most points scored in the league last season. Also, Tagovailoa is a great mentor for Young to learn from. Tagovailoa was a top Alabama quarterback prospect as well who was never seen as ‘the guy’ with his first coaching staff under Brian Flores, but has since found his calling with McDaniel.
Las Vegas Raiders
A quarterback probably wouldn’t trade a McDaniel offense for a Luke Getsy offense, this is one of the only other teams where Young might be able to start right away. The Raiders have started Gardner Minshew in all three of their games, and he’s been very accurate, completing 73.7% of his passes, but he’s clearly a placeholder. Minshew has thrown for a touchdown to an interception each game and has been sacked a total of 11 times. Arguably, Young hasn’t played well enough to earn a start over even Minshew; however, a change of scenery might be all Young needs to turn his career around.
Arizona Cardinals
On a similar note to Tagovailoa, Kyler Murray would be a great mentor to Young as a fellow undersized quarterback. Before the 2019 NFL Draft, many similar doubts were placed on Murray until he proved himself as a franchise quarterback who’s made multiple Pro Bowls. Young wouldn’t start as long as Murray is playing, but he should be able to secure the backup role. Clayton Tune, the current backup, only completed 12-of-21 passes for 62 yards and threw no touchdowns and two interceptions in his lone start in 2023.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Yet another member of the disgraced short quarterbacks club is Baker Mayfield. Mayfield, who was drafted with the first-overall pick the season before Murray, was traded to the Panthers in 2022 and had the worst season of his career in Carolina. Again, this wouldn’t be a starting position for Young, but he could learn a lot under Mayfield’s tutelage. Unlike Murray, Mayfield isn’t a phenomenal athlete who can get away from pressure every play, so he has to make smart decisions in the pocket. Since Mayfield is more of a pocket passer and has experience being disgruntled in Carolina, he has a lot in common with Young and it would be interesting to see them united in Tampa Bay.
New Orleans Saints
The main reason to bring the five-foot-10 quarterback to this divisional rival is to introduce him to Klint Kubiak, the son of Gary Kubiak, who innovated the explosive Broncos’ offenses of the 1990s-2000s. Klint is a lot like his dad because his team’s offense has been explosive as well, averaging 35.3 points per game through three weeks. Though they ran into a roadblock against a stout Eagles’ defense, they still fired on all cylinders against the Panthers and Cowboys. Derek Carr has thrown for 585 yards, six touchdowns, and two interceptions with a 115.7 passer rating. This could be a flash in the pan, but Kubiak has other experience elevating quarterback play. In 2021, Kirk Cousins passed for 4,221 yards, 33 touchdowns, and only seven interceptions en route to a Pro Bowl in Kubiak’s inaugural season as offensive coordinator. Kubiak also brought Brock Purdy his first Pro Bowl as passing game coordinator last season, which begs the question: could Kubiak elevate an unproven quarterback like Young to an elite level?
