The Panthers’ deal with the Bears for last year’s No. 1 pick has never looked worse than on Sunday, plus other key points from Week 5 of the season—including another potential trade that has the NFL abuzz.

By Andrew Beaton – Oct. 7, 2024 at 7:00 am ET – The Wall Street Journal

Nearly two years ago, the Carolina Panthers made the blockbuster move that would define their future. 

After suffering through losing season after losing season and cycling through a litany of journeymen quarterbacks, they went all-in to get a blue-chip talent at the game’s most important position. Carolina shipped a flotilla of players and draft picks to the Chicago Bears in a trade for the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft. 

And that deal has never looked worse than it did when the Panthers and Bears played Sunday. 

Bryce Young, the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback the Panthers drafted, began the game on the bench after a disastrous start to his season. Meanwhile, Caleb Williams, who the Bears drafted with this year’s No. 1 overall pick acquired from Carolina in the trade, spent the afternoon shredding the Panthers’ defense and looking like a budding star. Even worse, two of Williams’s touchdown throws went to D.J. Moore, the dynamic receiver who also arrived in Chicago as part of the swap. 

The Panthers’ 36-10 blowout loss was the ultimate referendum on a trade that somehow looks increasingly lopsided by the week. The trove of assets that once belonged to Carolina has turned the Bears into one of the NFL’s most promising young teams. And the Panthers are back to floundering with a journeyman, Andy Dalton, at quarterback after the one they paid so much to acquire hasn’t panned out. 

It’s a lesson in the conflicting dynamics at the top of the NFL draft. While premium picks are highly valued because they give teams a chance to nab a franchise quarterback, paying too much to acquire one can backfire spectacularly—and wind up setting the franchise back for years. 

For the Panthers, Young’s stock has fallen so far that he was relegated to mop-up duty in Sunday’s rout—the equivalent to throwing him into the game as a tackling dummy. Coach Dave Canales explained afterward that with a beat-up offensive line, he inserted the erstwhile franchise savior because he’d rather have Young absorbing meaningless hits than Dalton. 

“It’s a hard situation,” Canales said. “With just the different things happening on the offensive line, it was something where I wanted to get Andy out of there.”

It wasn’t particularly controversial or crazy when the Panthers shoved their chips to the center of the table in the 2023 draft. After all, they had missed the playoffs for five consecutive seasons while winning just 35% of their games in that span with a mostly forgettable collection of quarterbacks. Sitting with their initial pick, No. 9 overall, would have almost certainly meant missing out on the draft’s top passers. 

When they moved up to No. 1, Carolina had their pick of those QB prospects and ultimately went with Young, who had starred at Alabama. While he was one of the consensus top prospects, it was also a bet on an outlier: At 5-foot-10, he’s far smaller than most NFL passers. 

It didn’t take long for that gamble to look bleak. The Panthers lost their first six games and proved such a mess that they fired coach Frank Reich before he could finish his first season. With Young rating as one of the league’s worst quarterbacks, they wound up 2-15—the worst record in the league. 

The problem was that Carolina didn’t reap the reward that comes with being the crummiest team in football. That’s because the franchise’s 2024 first-rounder belonged to the Bears as part of the deal that sent two first rounders and two seconds to Chicago along with Moore.

The other issue: it quickly became clear that the Panthers picked the wrong guy, as C.J. Stroud—the quarterback selected by the Texans one pick after Young—turned into a rookie star. 

Any optimism that this year would look any different under Canales was quickly squashed—at least while Young was under center. During the first couple of weeks, Carolina lost by a combined 73-13, while Young tossed three interceptions with no touchdowns. More troublingly, once Young was benched, the offense suddenly found its groove, as Dalton produced a 36-point outburst the next week. 

On Sunday, the price the Panthers paid wasn’t clear just by watching Williams thrive while Young sat on the bench. Moore, a former first-round pick by Carolina, hauled in 105 receiving yards for Chicago. He’s joined by right tackle Darnell Wright and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, who both start for the Bears and were taken with picks they got in the deal. 

What’s more, Carolina isn’t even done forking over its valuable draft selections to Chicago. As the final piece of a deal the Panthers might like to forget, the Bears have Carolina’s second-round pick next year, too. 

The Data

If you like watching quarterbacks who can make plays on the run, Sunday was a treat. 

In Baltimore’s 41-38 overtime win over Cincinnati, Lamar Jackson used his legs—and a stiff-arm—to avoid a defender and throw an unbelievable 6-yard touchdown pass. Washington rookie sensation Jayden Daniels gave the Cleveland Browns fits with his speed, totaling 82 rushing yards. But the scamper of the day belonged to Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray. 

When Murray took the ball 50 yards to the end zone in the first quarter of a 24-23 win over the San Francisco 49ers, he reached a top speed of 21.27 miles per hour, according to the NFL’s player tracking technology. That’s the fastest any quarterback has run with the ball over the last eight seasons. 

The Decision

With each new dismal performance, the pressure is only amplifying in Cleveland to send quarterback Deshaun Watson to the bench. 

But it isn’t an easy choice given that Watson is getting paid $46 million a year on a fully guaranteed contract that goes on for two additional seasons beyond this one. Still, with the Browns at 1-4—and having failed to eclipse 20 points in a game this season—they might just have to start considering it. 

Sunday’s 34-13 loss to Washington was particularly ugly. On 28 pass attempts, Watson managed a paltry 125 yards and took seven sacks, which has been a problem throughout his career. Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski eventually lifted Watson for backup Jameis Winston late in the game. But, for now at least, he’s still backing Watson. 

“This is not a one-person issue on offense,” he said. 

The Debate

The NFL is buzzing that the Las Vegas Raiders could soon trade star wide receiver Davante Adams. The question: Where’s his best fit? 

Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers chats with Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams after a game last season. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

It isn’t hard to look around the league and see logical landing spots. The New York Jets and New Orleans Saints are both led by quarterbacks he used to play with. Other contending teams such as the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers could use an additional playmaker, too. The Kansas City Chiefs might actually be the NFL’s most wide-receiver needy team, though intra-division trades aren’t too common. 

Adams has only fueled the speculation when he posted a picture of Edgar Allan Poe on social media the other day. Perhaps he enjoys poetry. Others saw it as a nod to the Ravens—whose mascot is named after the writer. 

Write to Andrew Beaton at andrew.beaton@wsj.com