The Panthers drafted Young No. 1 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. Young had few encouraging moments in his rookie season. Carolina won just two games and their draft pick helped the Chicago Bears select Caleb Williams No. 1 overall in 2024.

But they’ve already moved on from Young. At least for now.

At 5’10”, there were major question marks about Young’s ability in the NFL before the Panthers even drafted him. To make matters worse, the Panthers passed over Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, a second-round pick by the Houston Texans who is already one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.

This is the fastest time we’ve seen a No. 1 overall quarterback benched in recent memory. While the Panthers are a mess, Young has given their bosses little reason to believe.

And let’s not forget, Canales is no idiot. He just watched owner David Tepper fire Frank Reich after one season. Reich was supposed to have Matt Rhule as his savior in Carolina, and he was fired after two seasons despite a massive seven-year contract worth over $70 million.

It’s hard to say the clock is ticking for Canales, who is just two games into his head coaching career after turning Baker Mayfield’s career around during his time as offensive coordinator with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But he’s wasting no time with Young, and that’s probably smart of the rookie head coach.

The Panthers have had a reputation for being, well, not the most functional organization ever since Cam Newton led them to a Super Bowl appearance. Canales doesn’t want his players to throw in the towel two weeks into a long NFL season.

When asked if he still has the respect of the dressing room, Canales gave a strange answer.

“That’s a loaded question.”