The Carolina Panthers are in one of the toughest spots of any team in the NFL. For starters, they have the league’s worst record through the first 12 weeks of the season, the only team with a mark of 1-10. The player that they selected first overall has struggled during his rookie season while the second pick has flourished. And to make matters infinitely worse, they have no control over their first round pick this year, and there is a very good chance that they send the #1 overall selection to the Chicago Bears this offseason.
Panthers Original Plan Was To Draft CJ Stroud
The plan initially was for the #Bears to trade No. 1 to the #Texans for No. 2, and then the Bears to trade No. 2 to the #Panthers for No. 9. It would’ve essentially been a rare three-way NFL trade.
Talks with Houston and Chicago fell apart, and then David Tepper gave the green… https://t.co/qzPh7l3ukZ
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) November 28, 2023
They fired their head coach on Monday, making Frank Reich the shortest-tenured coach in the NFL since 1976. On Tuesday, Panthers team owner David Tepper took to the podium to answer questions about the staffing change and other general curiosities surrounding the franchise. One reporter asked if there was truth to the rumor that the team’s original plan was to draft someone other than Bryce Young with the first overall pick, and Tepper confirmed:
Originally we were going to go with the #2 pick and we thought we would get CJ, we thought the Texans were going to pick Bryce…It’s just not the way the process was done.
According to earlier reports that Tepper all but confirmed, the Panthers were actually in talks to acquire the 2nd overall pick, as opposed to the 1st. The initial plan was for the Bears to trade the #1 pick to the Texans in exchange for #2, and then Carolina would acquire that #2 overall for the 9th pick and other pieces.
Tepper Gives Full Confidence Despite Early Struggles
Panthers owner David Tepper was asked if it was true that Frank Reich wanted C.J. Stroud over Bryce Young.
“In the case of Bryce, it was almost- I believe it was a unanimous decision by the coaches and the scouts.” pic.twitter.com/1AgYuNQarN
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 28, 2023
The deal fell apart when talks between Houston and Chicago dissipated, and the Panthers instead made the move to trade up to #1 instead.
But once they did, as Tepper was sure to point out, Young was the consensus pick among the coaches, scouts, and himself. He goes on in his statement to say that they have full confidence in the pick that they made.
Through 10 games played, Young as thrown for 1,877 yards to go along with 9 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. He has eclipsed the 200 yard mark just three times. Stroud, on the other hand, has 3,266 yards through 11 games, and has thrown 19 touchdowns to 5 interceptions. In fact, his 1.3% interception rate is the best of any quarterback in the NFL. Stroud has thrown for 300+ yards six times already, with three 350+ yard games under his belt.
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