Carolina Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton recently sprained his right thumb in an accident. traffic accident involving family. Fortunately, no one required transportation to the hospital, but the veteran signalman’s injury left Bryce Young at center for Week 8.

Earlier this week head coach Dave Canales announced He said Young will start for Carolina in the game against the Denver Broncos. At the time, the top two wide receivers (Diontae Johnson and Adam Thielen) were expected to be targeted with the 2023 No. 1 overall pick. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, both have since been ruled out of the competition.

Good grief. Once benched, there was little hope for Young’s redemption, regardless of the availability of Johnson and Thielen. Considering what we’ve seen from him in his first 18 NFL starts, there isn’t much to hold on to that indicates a return is imminent. However, it would be nice to have a primary receiving tandem, especially against the stingy Broncos defense Leads the league under pressure (by a good margin).

The Panthers won’t learn anything about what Young has and whether he can be their long-term passer. The 23-year-old is forced to rely on unproven options like rookies Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker; Jalen Coker, on the other hand, has not been drafted yet. Or he could turn to veteran journeyman David Moore and former second-round draft bust Jonathan Mingo, neither of whom are attractive alternatives.

Overall, Young and the Panthers’ already bad situation has somehow gotten worse. The organization is not in the unenviable position of constantly being a bottom feeder without knowing whether their quarterback of the future is on the roster. However, under current conditions, sledding suddenly becomes difficult.

Young was benched after Week 2 due to Carolina’s offense being dysfunctional and unable to move the ball, and that was on Johnson and Thielen. With the season stripped of the pass-catcher duo, it’s hard to imagine things would be better without them.