On Friday Dan Graziano at ESPN named four teams around the NFL that could be potential trade suitors for embattled Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young. The former number one overall draft pick has been benched already after an abominable 0-2 start to the season that saw Carolina get outscored 73-13. Andy Dalton will be starting today against the Las Vegas Raiders, but the story now is all about what comes next for Young.
On that note, the Seattle Seahawks may have a role to play, as they were one of the four teams that Graziano mentioned in his report. As always, any potential trade scenario for a big-name quarterback is a long shot, but the Seahawks do have something else the other suitors can't offer Carolina. Let's break it down.
The Panthers' Bryce Young problem
Right now it sounds like the Panthers wouldn't get more than a fourth-round draft pick offered for Young, according to Jonathan Jones at CBS Sports. That's a pretty dismal return for a guy who's only played 18 games since being the number one overall pick. Carolina could try to put Young back on the field in a few weeks and attempt to boost his trade value, but until that happens a Day 3 pick is probably the best compensation they'll get as far as draft capital goes.
However, if the Panthers go a different route and seek a young quarterback in return, that gives the Seahawks an edge, because of the four teams who were listed as potential trade suitors they're the only one with a promising young quarterback on their roster.
How the Seahawks can make a better offer
To review, the Miami Dolphins were picked by ESPN as the strongest possible trade suitor - but unless they're dangling Tua Tagovailoa himself they don't have much to offer in the way of quarterback talent. Skylar Thompson is slated to start against Seattle today and even his own offensive coordinator can't seem to think of an area of the game where he's improved since he was drafted back in 2022.
As for the Los Angeles Rams, they have Jimmy Garoppolo as the primary backup behind Matt Stafford this year. While Garoppolo still has some limited ability, the Panthers won't want to trade for another veteran backup when they already have a better one in Andy Dalton. The same goes for the New York Jets, who have Tyrod Taylor playing behind Aaron Rodgers. Taylor is underrated, but he's also far past his prime athletically.
The Seahawks do have a young quarterback who has a pretty high ceiling, though. That would be Sam Howell, who they traded the equivalent of a seventh-round draft pick to the Washington Commanders about six months ago. Howell struggled with turnovers in 2023, but he's only 24 years old and showed oodles of arm talent and gamesmanship during his time as a starter with Washington and previously at North Carolina.
Should Seattle make an offer for Bryce Young?
Of course there's the question of whether or not Seattle should really be interested, assuming ESPN's reporting is correct. Young looked absolutely atrocious on the field this year, somehow even worse than his rookie season. His QBR for 2024 at the moment is even lower than Jimmy Clausen's all-time basement mark in 2010.
While Young's results at this level have been discouraging, you don't win a Heisman award on accident and there's still time for Young to turn things around for his career. At this point, we still believe that Young has a higher ceiling than Howell. It would be very much on-brand for general manager John Schneider to bring in Young as the next-potential franchise starter behind Geno Smith.
The question is if the Seahawks believe Young is broken all on his own, or if it's the Panthers' dysfunctional environment that has gotten to him. If they think a change of scenery could bring out the best in Young, no harm could come from a trade call to a front office that they already have a good working relationship with.
Based on the way Smith is slinging it right now, Young would have plenty of time to stand on the sidelines and learn.
More Seahawks stories
Seattle Seahawks vs. Miami Dolphins Week 3 CBS TV coverage map
What newest roster moves mean for Seattle this week, going forward
Mike Macdonald optimistic about Nwosu, Walker returning in Week 4
