Bryce Young may be facing an uncertain future with the Carolina Panthers after he was benched, but he at least has a famous advocate in his corner.
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James took to social media Tuesday and offered some advice to the quarterback while adding he is “rooting for” his success:
Like James, Young entered his league as the No. 1 overall pick with plenty of expectations on his shoulders.
Unlike James, he has not lived up to those expectations to this point.
Young is just 2-16 as a starter with 11 touchdown passes to 13 interceptions since Carolina selected him with the No. 1 pick of the 2023 NFL draft.
The struggles aren’t all on him, as the Panthers aren’t exactly loaded with talented skill players and are still attempting to overcome a troubling trade to the Chicago Bears that gave them the pick they used on the Alabama product.
Still, Young’s struggles have been magnified by the fact that C.J. Stroud was the No. 2 overall pick of his draft and has already established himself as one of the best QBs in the league and led the Houston Texans to the playoffs as the Offensive Rookie of the Year.
In the face of those struggles, Carolina decided to turn toward veteran Andy Dalton for its upcoming game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
While head coach Dave Canales told reporters, “Andy gives us our best chance to win this week,” it was still shocking to see a No. 1 pick benched so early in his career. That’s especially true since the 0-2 Panthers likely won’t be playoff contenders and could look toward the future.
Perhaps Young’s next opportunity will come with the team that drafted him. Or perhaps it will come with another team down the line.
But James offered some words of encouragement during what is surely a difficult time for the young signal-caller.
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