Brian Answers: Bryce Young, Dave Canales, and more!

Hello CSR! Welcome to Brian Answers, part two of your weekly Panthers fan mailbag for everyone! Most of the questions this week revolved around moving on from Bryce Young and Dave Canales, subjects I was hoping we wouldn’t be getting into this early in the regular season, but here we are! Let’s dive right in, and join us next week for another edition of the mailbag!

e4*: Will I ever play the the violin?

If the Panthers continue to have horrific games like the last two weeks, you might have an extra four hours a week come November or so to learn the violin. Or become an Eagles fan. Maybe learn to play “Fly Eagles Fly” on the violin too? Seriously though, I hope the team can at least stabilize its performance soon.

schrodingersblackcat: What happens if Bryce pulls off a trajectory similar to last year? (With or without benching.)

I went ahead and linked the whole comment since you asked several questions, I will try to hit on all the asking points.

• I think if Bryce ends the season on the upswing again and the team finishes around .500, you probably have to consider bringing in some form of competition. I don’t know if that’s a first round pick at QB, but maybe a mid rounder or a free agent option. Then as the head coach/GM, you let those guys fight it out in camp, and build the rest of the roster up as best you can around them. I don’t think it makes sense to move on entirely from Bryce Young in this scenario unless you find a team willing to make a decent trade, but what exactly that would look like is hard to project right now.
• I don’t know if bringing Jameis Winston in makes a lot of sense for this team, but it would be fun. If by some miracle the Giants are playing Jacxson Dart over a healthy Russell Wilson prior to the deadline, maybe you can get Winston on a cheap trade, but I don’t think he’s saving the season if we see the Panthers continue on the current trend. I am still of the mindset that we give it a few more weeks before deciding the 2025 season is completely lost.

brake23: Last week I said Bryce had to have a big game and throw for over 300 yards for me to have any optimistic view on his future. Surprisingly, he followed through BUT it also came with the typical Bryce turnovers and against a very banged up Arizona secondary with no pressure up front for a large chunk of the second half. What kind of performance do you think Bryce needs to have in order to show the fanbase that he isn’t regressing?

Really, to me, it has to be starting the game fast rather than a horrific turnover, and staying somewhat consistent on offense throughout the game. Atlanta’s defense looks pretty good right now, specifically the pass rush,...