Cat Scratch Reader
Hello CSR! Welcome to Brian Answers, part two of your weekly Panthers fan mailbag for everyone! The Panthers let us down on prime time, a tradition almost as old as Thanksgiving. You asked questions, and I got answers for you. We’ll dive right in, and join us during next week’s Ask Brian column to have more of your fan questions answered!
Schammgod: Why do the NFL refs and God hate the Panthers??? But in actuality, do you think the Panthers should pick up Bryce’s 5th year option and grab a late round QB in the draft to develop? Thanks!
The Panthers released Cam Newton, we are paying for it every day.
I still am of the mindset that the Panthers probably should grab Bryce Young’s 5th year option (yeah yeah boo me all you want) while they try to figure out their whole QB situation. I’m not sure if they’ll get a ready heir apparent this off-season, though I think they should sign and draft at least one QB for competition/development purposes. But it isn’t often you stumble upon a franchise quarterback in free agency (unless they are leaving the Panthers of course) and I don’t expect Carolina to go after a first round guy this next Offseason, so knowing they’ll at least have Bryce under a contract and can be traded going into 2027 wouldn’t be the worst scenario. I reserve the right to update my opinion on this pending whatever else could possibly happen in 2025, since this season has been a rollercoaster.
CasualFanAlso: A lot of fans have expressed “enough of BY” sentiments. Realistically, what if any options are there to Young at this point in the season?
There’s really not a lot of other options now. Any QB who isn’t on a roster now isn’t going to come in and magically pick up the playbook and have the Panthers playoff contending in week 13. I know many have clamored for Mike White to get some starts in, but barring an injury I do not expect the Panthers to move from Bryce Young, aside from if they end up being completely out of playoff contention. They definitely should have done more at the quarterback position in the off-season rather than sticking with Andy Dalton as the backup. But yeah, I’m not expecting a voluntary change from Bryce Young at the moment.
SwampPanther: Q: What happened to Icky Monday night, uncharacteristically bad performance.
Ikem Ekwonu is never going to be an elite pass protector, so when the team doesn’t commit to running the football, I think we can expect some difficult games for him. Not to say he isn’t a good left tackle, he’s been one of the more consistent linemen they have. Good players do have bad games.
Revshawn: Is there a shot that Isaiah Simmons can get coached up? Or is it too little too late?
He’ll be hanging out with his Clemson buddy Hunter Renfrow on the healthy scratch list.
Joking aside, I like taking...
