Micah Parsons and Mel Kiper Defend Bryce Young Following Bench Decision After Week Two [Video]

Bryce Young received some unexpected news going into the third week of his second NFL season: he would be benched in favor of veteran quarterback Andy Dalton as he continues to adjust to the league. This decision has brought a lot of attention and criticism to the Carolina Panthers. Cowboys defensive star Micah Parsons shared on his podcast that he believes Young, a Philadelphia native, has not been given a fair opportunity.

“I don’t think he’s getting a fair shake at this,” Parsons said on his podcast, The Edge. “I’m noticing this a lot, especially with these young quarterbacks. You’re not giving them the chance to grow. Look at Kenny Pickett, look at Justin Fields—Caleb (Williams) is having struggles similar to Fields. I just think we expect QBs to come into the league and be ‘ready right now,’ without much talent or real assets around them, and say, ‘Hey, it’s time to be good immediately.'”

Parsons is correct. One of the greatest quarterbacks, Peyton Manning, went 3-13 in his rookie year, still holding the NFL record for interceptions as a rookie (28). He turned out alright, with two Super Bowl rings to show for it as well. ESPN’s Mel Kiper took another approach this morning when he critiqued the off-season and pre-season decisions that the Carolina Panthers took that made Young also have to adjust from what he learned in his rookie year.

I think ‘mishandled’ is the word,” Kiper said on Get Up Tuesday morning. “Because when you drafted Bryce Young, (you) knew he was an outlier. Russell Wilson was bigger and taller, but only 5’10 and three quarters, that opened it up for the 5’10 quarterback.

“I think ‘mishandled’ is the word,” Kiper said on Get Up Tuesday morning. “Because when you drafted Bryce Young, you knew he was an outlier. Russell Wilson was bigger and taller—5’10 and three-quarters—so that opened it up for shorter quarterbacks.”

“But Russell Wilson was 205-208 pounds coming out, not 180. Kyler Murray, because of Russell Wilson, became the No. 1 pick overall. Different body type than Bryce Young. So you knew when you drafted Bryce Young, not only is he short, but he’s also a small, diminutive quarterback who needed help, right?”

The comparisons to smaller quarterbacks like Wilson and Tua Tagovailoa have had mixed results. When it comes to selecting a quarterback, getting it right is crucial.

“Also, continuity—you draft a quarterback, and everyone said he had this great infrastructure in Carolina with the head coach, the coordinator, the quarterback coach, everything there, the senior assistant. Everything’s in place,” Kiper added.

“And then you see him beat CJ Stroud on the field as a rookie. If you take out the three games where he threw multiple interceptions, he had six touchdowns and three picks. He had some decent games last year.”

Bryce Young certainly needs time to develop, but the Panthers’ problems go beyond their young quarterback. With only one touchdown scored so far this season, they sit at 0-2, facing a lot more challenges ahead.