Bryce Young’s return gives the Panthers even more reasons to trade him.

The Carolina Panthers climbed the mountain to take on the Denver Broncos on Sunday afternoon, the kind of matchup that gets football fans out of bed in the morning. Neither Bryce Young nor Bo Nix are very compelling as first-round quarterbacks, but it’s hard to pass up the opportunity to see which mid-level arm will come out on top.

Young has been sitting on the bench as of late as 36-year-old Andy Dalton collects the L, but the Panthers were always going to go back to the sophomore at No. 1 overall at some point. Dalton injured his thumb in a car accident this week, forcing Young to return to action in what could be permanent changes.

Head coach Dave Canales was brought in to fix Carolina’s many offensive problems, something he decisively failed to achieve. At the same time, one can hardly blame the coach for the constant incompetence of the front office and owners. The Panthers’ problems have been percolating from the top for a long time. If anything, we should criticize David Tepper for continuing to hire the wrong coaches, the wrong general managers, the wrong quarterbacks.

For now, the Panthers are largely stuck with Young trying in vain to elevate Canales’ offense to respectability. This probably won’t happen, but there is only one viable alternative: trade.

Young was the No. 1 pick for a reason, and teams would likely be interested if the Panthers traded the 23-year-old. Carolina won’t be able to recoup nearly the same amount of money it gave up to acquire Young, but the Panthers’ front office can’t fall victim to sunk costs. Young is not the future of Panther football – that much is clear as day – so trading him while there is still some mystery about his ineffectiveness is the best option.

In that sense, Young threw a bone to Carolina’s top decision makers on Sunday.

Young scored a touchdown in the Panthers’ opener in Denver, completing all five of his pass attempts for 39 yards, expertly pulling the strings against a stout Broncos defense. The rest of the first half went in Denver’s favor, but Young at least looked confident and effective in his first action since a high-profile bench change a few weeks ago.

It couldn’t have happened at a better time. The more promising Young is in the Panthers’ brutal offense, the more other teams will convince themselves he’s worthy of a chance. From rebuilding rosters in need of long-term QB depth to contenders looking to hedge against injuries, Young should address several potential suitors. The question now is whether the Panthers will actually have the courage to move on.

Carolina did everything it could to get Young. At some point, the front office and ownership group believed he was the future of the franchise. It can be difficult to move away from deeply held ideals, but the Panthers can’t let frustration or disillusionment get in the way of striking a good deal. Even if the deal pales in comparison to the objectively bad deal Young negotiated in the first place.

Nothing can save this Panthers season. Carolina is a leaf floating in a storm. But moving on from Young and at least putting a plan in place for the 2025 NFL Draft could be a step in the right direction for a changing franchise.