After making some drastic changes during the NFL offseason and drafting Alabama product Bryce Young to be the new face of the franchise moving forward, the Carolina Panthers have had a nightmarish start to the 2023 NFL season.
Even though the Panthers were expected to struggle with a rookie quarterback leading the way to start the season, the team has really underachieved up to this point, with Carolina sporting a 0-6 record coming into Week 8 against the Houston Texans.
As for the Texans, who also brought in a potential franchise quarterback in rookie C.J. Stroud, they’ve played much better than expected, with the Ohio State product looking like the best quarterback in this draft class.
Stroud has shown incredible poise and accuracy during his short time as the starter for the Texans, leading Houston to a record of 3-3, with a real chance that this team can compete with the Jacksonville Jaguars for the AFC South division title.
Ahead of the clash between Young and Stroud in Week 8, Panthers head coach Frank Reich denied that he considered taking Stroud over Young in the draft because of the size difference, according to David Newton of ESPN.
Panthers coach Frank Reich said he never leaned toward C.J. Stroud over Bryce Young before the draft because of his past with bigger quarterbacks.'' Said he never said that to anyone.
— David Newton (@DNewtonespn) October 25, 2023
At this point, Stroud definitely looks far and away the better NFL quarterback when compared to Young, which is something that could change in the future if the former Heisman Trophy winner can figure out how to turn things around.
With Stroud coming into his own early in his NFL career, he’ll definitely have a chip on his shoulder coming into this matchup against Young, as he’ll try to prove he was the better prospect all along.
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