CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Sunday's game served as yet another unneeded reminder for the Carolina Panthers of just how badly they botched the trade for Bryce Young in 2023 — and how far back it has set the franchise.
Caleb Williams threw for 304 yards and two touchdowns — both of those to former Carolina wide receiver D.J. Moore — as the Bears routed the Panthers 36-10 in Chicago.
Moore was part of the deal in which the Panthers also sent four draft picks to the Bears to move up to the No. 1 overall pick to acquire a franchise quarterback. But instead of taking C.J. Stroud, who went No. 2 overall to the Houston Texans and has experienced quick success, the Panthers took Young — and it has been a disaster ever since.
Young is 2-16 as an NFL starter and was benched just two games into the Dave Canales era for 36-year-old journeyman Andy Dalton.
Williams, meanwhile, displayed good pocket presence in the best game of his young career. Williams, of course, was taken No. 1 overall in this year's draft with a pick the Bears received from the Panthers after Carolina finished with an NFL-worst 2-15 record last season.
The Bears also added offensive tackle Darnell Wright and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson — both of whom are now starters — along with punter Tory Taylor as part of that trade haul that could haunt the Panthers for years.
Even more concerning is that hindsight is proving the Panthers may not have needed to make the move at all had they been able to develop their own quarterback.
The Panthers previously acquired Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield — both former top-three draft picks — in trades with the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns, respectively, in an effort to shore up the QB position.
Both are now excelling with their current teams.
Darnold has the unbeaten Minnesota Vikings (5-0) atop the NFC North. Mayfield, one year after leading the Buccaneers to the playoffs, has thrown 11 touchdowns and two interceptions this season.
The Panthers (1-4) meanwhile seem likely to miss the playoffs for the seventh straight season and their QB future still remains unsettled.
The optimism from the Dalton-infused victory over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 3 has faded fast, and the Panthers now find themselves right back where they were before: a struggling football team coming off yet another blowout loss.
Dalton will remain the starter moving forward though.
The Panthers aren't a particularly deep team, and injuries have curtailed any momentum from that win in Vegas.
They had already lost defensive end Derrick Brown, linebacker Shaq Thompson and wide receiver Adam Thielen — three of their best players — to injuries coming into Sunday, with the Brown and Thompson injuries being season-ending.
On Sunday, matters got worse as five more players went down: centre Austin Corbett (torn biceps), right tackle Taylor Moton (triceps), outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney (shoulder), wide receiver Xavier Legette (shoulder) and tight end Tommy Tremble (concussion).
Corbett will miss the remainder of the season; Moton is expected to miss a few weeks, according to Canales.
Things got to a point at the end of Sunday's game that Canales removed Dalton because he was getting hit in the pocket with two starting linemen out.
In came Young with his team down by 26 for his first mop-up duty since being benched, an all-too-painful reminder for the Panthers about how they got fleeced by the Bears in what may go down as one of the most lopsided trades in NFL history.
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