NFL QB's thriving on 2nd chances provide hope for Bryce Young

Bryce Young's career with the Carolina Panthers met a likely unceremonious end when he was benched this week after struggling in the team's first two games. It's rare for a team to give up on the No. 1 pick in the draft after just 17-months and 18 starts, but the Panthers set Young up for failure from the beginning. He should have spent most, if not all, of his rookie season backing up Andy Dalton and given time to develop while Carolina built up the roster around him.

It's no surprise that Dalton would play better as veterans are more equipped to handle poor situations than young quarterbacks trying to find their way.

Young took the benching hard, saying he was surprised by the decision. His joy and confidence are totally shot, and it's easy to see. But Sunday was another reminder of how much situations matter in the NFL, especially for quarterbacks. Several teams are led by signal-callers who were given up on by the team's that drafted them, and those QB's are thriving in situations that fit them better.

Baker Mayfield is one of those guys. Labeled a failure in Cleveland, bounced around in Carolina and a short stint in LA before getting another real shot in Tampa. His comments in regards to Young's benching were thoughtful:

Justin Fields was the 11th overall pick in the 2021 draft, and started 38 games over three years with the Bears. He was solid, not great. But the Bears were clearly a team that needed a lot more than just a QB. They thought he was the main crux of their issues, traded him away, and spent the No. 1 pick on Caleb Williams. Williams has struggled through his first three starts and Chicago still looks like a team that needs a lot more than a QB to be competitive.

Fields, meanwhile, looked like he was going to back up Russell Wilson in Pittsburgh, but a lingering injury for Wilson gave Fields another opportunity that he doesn't appear to be letting go. The Steelers are one of the better organizations in the NFL, coached by arguably the best coach in the league in Mike Tomlin. Fields has looked leaps and bounds better than he did in Chicago, and Pittsburgh is off to a 3-0 start after a 20-10 win over the Chargers on Sunday.

Sam Darnold was the No. 3 pick in the 2018 draft by the Jets. Like Fields, Darnold started 38 games over three seasons in New York, and quickly fell out of favor with the organization and the fans. He got another opportunity with the Panthers, but struggled. He spent last season as a backup in San Francisco, and a preseason injury to 1st round pick JJ McCarthy gave Darnold perhaps his last chance as a starter in Minnesota.

Like Fields, Darnold has led the Vikings to a 3-0 record and has looked like a legitimate NFL MVP candidate through three games.

Malik Willis was a third round pick by the Titans in 2022, a guy everyone knew was raw and needed time. The Titans gave up on him after two seasons and three starts, dealing him to Green Bay where he figured to ride the pine behind Jordan Love. A Week 1 injury to Love gave Willis a second chance, and he's won both of his starts for the Packers this season after leading them to a cathartic win over the Titans on Sunday.

There's other examples, too, like Mayfield in Tampa, Geno Smith in Seattle, Jared Goff in Detroit. Mac Jones will have a chance eventually, too, after struggling in New England over three seasons in a dysfunctional organization. He's backing up Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville, biding his time for another starting opportunity.

NFL teams are too quick to blame the coach and the QB when things go wrong. But when things repeatedly go wrong, like they have for franchises such as Carolina and Chicago, some self-evaluation is necessary for owners and GM's.

Playing QB in the NFL is hard. It's impossible for a young QB thrown into situations with little talent surrounding them. Especially so with coaching turnover that Young experienced in Carolina and Jones in New England. Stability is important for growth. So is belief. If you have neither, failure is almost a guarantee.

But Young's early failures in Carolina are not a death sentence. There's already teams reaching out to the Panthers interested in trading for him. Those teams think what I think: that a better situation and building back his confidence would lead to Young reaching his immense potential; potential that he hasn't had the chance to even scratch, yet.