標籤: Bryce

In the 2023 NFL Draft, the Carolina Panthers selected Bryce Young No. 1 overall. He has improved each season since, and so has the Panthers’ record, going from 2-14 to 4-8, 8-8 and making the playoffs.

A big reason for Young’s continued improvement is that the Panthers have continued to improve the foundation around him. This includes spending more than $100 million on the offensive line. The Panthers also invested first-round picks in back-to-back drafts on wide receivers Xavier Leggett and Tetaroa McMillan.

The Panthers used their first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on an offensive tackle, but Carolina also invested a third-round pick on Tennessee wideout Chris Brazell. Still, some believe the Panthers should not add to their corps of pass-catchers.

recently, Sports IllustratedEva Geitheim urged the Panthers to consider signing free agent tight end Darren Waller.

Waller retired for the 2024 season, but surprisingly returned and joined the Miami Dolphins in 2025. Waller, who turns 34 in September, could potentially help a team like the Panthers even after recording a respectable 283 yards and six touchdowns in just three starts and nine appearances.

The one-time Pro Bowler has made no suggestion that he’s headed back into retirement this offseason, and with training camp around the corner, there could be more activity on his front soon.

RELATED: 2026 NFL QB rankings: From the NFL’s worst starting QBs to the best

Dedicated NFL copywriter/editor. My work has been found on SportsNut, Sports Illustrated, Sporting News, MSN, Yahoo, and Minnesota Sports… More about Andrew Buller-Russ

It seems that despite the big risks, the Carolina Panthers don’t want to waste their starting quarterback in 2026.

When the Panthers made Bryce Young the first overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft, the organization had high hopes that they might have a future star. However, his rookie season was forgettable as the team went 2–14 in his debut, as he posted a 59.8 completion percentage, 34.1 quarterback rating and 11 interceptions to 11 touchdowns.

The former Alabama star was sidelined early in his sophomore season, but eventually worked his way back into a starting role and showed some signs of development. The 2025 campaign showed more development under head coach Dave Canales as Young had the highest completion percentage (63.6%), yards (3,011), and touchdowns (23) in his career.

Still, while those were the best single-season numbers of his career, his completion percentage was 23rd, yards were 21st, and touchdowns were 14th best in the NFL. While he was better for the Panthers in 2025, he was still a middling or poor starting QB compared to the rest of the league.

That’s why it makes sense that the Panthers have not yet picked up his fifth-year option, which would be worth $25.9 million. With a strong QB class in the 2027 NFL Draft, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to prove he could be a further development.

Carolina Panthers will soon pick up Bryce Young’s fifth-year option

But it seems the Panthers would rather take the risk of having the average QB make $25 million next year rather than risk having to compete for Young’s services in free agency.

On Tuesday, Panthers general manager Dan Morgan said that after the draft, he plans to negotiate with Bryce Young about picking up his fifth-year option. “Once the draft is over, we’ll definitely move forward,” Morgan told the media. “Obviously, the player isn’t in the building yet. … We’ll get this done as soon as he gets back in the building.”

If Young can take another step forward in 2026, the Panthers could have a good QB at a reasonable rate next year. However, if he disappoints and potentially opts out, they will have the highest-paid backup in the NFL.

After earning a journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos worked as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sacca… More about Jason Burgos

Last year, Bryce Aldridge was considered the future of the San Francisco Giants. Rated as the 22nd best prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline, Aldridge has been hailed as one of the best first basemen in the minor leagues. He had an .836 OPS at Triple-A Sacramento and earned a call-up to the major leagues in September. So what is he doing in Triple-A to begin the 2026 season?

One reason Aldridge is doomed in Triple-A is that the Giants’ roster is a mess. The Giants are essentially carrying three thirds of first basemen on the roster: Matt Chapman, Rafael Devers and Casey Schmidt. Because Chapman is the best defender, he is the third baseman, moving Schmidt to play first base and Devers to the DH slot. This stops Aldridge in his natural position.

RELATED: MLB Power Rankings Week 1, see where the SF Giants landed

The Giants also signed Luis Erez last offseason and are asking him to play second base. Erez fits better defensively at first base, but Devers has covered first base, forcing Erez to play second base, where he is rated as one of the worst players defensively in baseball.

Then there’s 28-year-old career minor leaguer Gerard Encarnación, who is listed as a probable DH on the depth chart (although he has not started a game as a DH yet this season). He is a first baseman and right fielder, also blocking Aldridge on the depth chart.

Ultimately, between Devers, Schmidt, Encarnación and Arraez, it’s hard to see how Aldridge will get playing time.

Why should the Giants prioritize a better player?

However, when you look a little deeper, it’s not hard to see what the Giants’ answer should be. Schmidt has a career 0.4 bWAR and 88 OPS+. These are hardly numbers that scream “keep this guy in the lineup at all costs.” Last year, he had a league-average 100 OPS+. Schmidt is also not a first baseman; He is a utility infielder who is being asked to play the position because the team’s best first baseman (Arez) is at second, Devers is DH’ing, and Schmidt’s natural position at third base is blocked by Gold Glover (Chapman).

Obviously, Aldridge didn’t help himself in his ten-game MLB audition last year, when he slashed .107/.297/.179. The important thing to keep in mind, however, is that this was a ten-game audition in September, when the entire Giants offense was declining. This was not the best moment to call out a 20 year old rookie.

Aldridge is now a year older, and has nothing more to prove at the Triple-A level. If San Francisco wants league-average production it can continue to start utility men like Schmidt and Encarnación at first base. Or they could call up Aldridge, who offers a lot of upside and needs to develop at the big league level.

Playing it safe and putting Schmidt in the lineup over Aldridge isn’t going to help the Giants. In the NL West, playing safe is the wrong strategy. San Francisco won’t be able to overtake the Dodgers by playing it safe. Playing it safe is what kept the Giants as a .500 team four years in a row.

If Aldridge comes up and struggles, it’s good to know the Giants have a guy like Schmidt who can play first base if needed. But San Francisco needs to give their top prospect a chance, and soon.

卡羅萊納黑豹隊是上個 NFL 賽季的一支令人驚訝的球隊。他們以 8 勝 9 負的戰績進入季后賽，但在季后賽中以 34 比 31 輸給了洛杉磯公羊隊。儘管對黑豹隊的期望仍然很低，但他們進入季后賽很大程度上是因為布萊斯·楊在中鋒位置上的進步，展示了他對卡羅來納州整體的價值。

楊出現在最新一集的“帕特·邁克菲秀”中，並表示他一直在努力在 NFL 中成長和進步。他表示，每個人在NFL都有自己的旅程，當誤差幅度如此之小時，就可能導致許多不同的結果。

上賽季，楊打出了職業生涯最好的賽季。他傳球推進 3,011 碼，達陣 23 次，被攔截 11 次，傳球成功率 63.6%。這標誌著楊第一次展示了他作為 NFL 四分衛的真正潛力。

在回應他的批評者以及他們可能早早放棄他和他在黑豹隊的時光時，楊說：“我個人，或者我們作為一個團隊，都不太關注外界的噪音。我也是體育迷，所以我感謝任何有意見的人。這意味著他們關心和支持，我很感激。但對我們來說，我們只能專注於手頭的任務，專注於我們自己，以及我們在球隊中所做的事情。”我很欣賞這個挑戰。 ”

這個賽季是一次突破，但遠非完美。黑豹隊仍然以 8 勝 9 負的戰績結束比賽，並失去了多次獨自鎖定國聯南區的機會。他們之所以進入季后賽是因為獵鷹隊在第 18 週擊敗了聖徒隊。

黑豹隊也有很多才華橫溢的球員可以圍繞布萊斯·楊進行打造。兩個最大的球員是邊路的特泰羅亞·麥克米蘭和後場的里科·道德爾。麥克米蘭作為楊最喜歡的外接手度過了一個精彩的新秀賽季，道德爾則成為後場的新首發。

在馬修·斯塔福德 (Matthew Stafford) 早早觸地普卡納庫亞 (Puka Nacua) 後，卡羅萊納黑豹隊 (Carolina Panthers) 看起來已經做好了迎接漫長夜晚的準備。但事實證明，布萊斯·楊和杰倫·科克在美國銀行體育場內“繼續衝擊”。

卡羅萊納將兩位數的大比分落後變成了20-17。然後楊將球深深地傳給了科克，將這次接球變成了史詩般的 52 碼推進。

這次接球就跑最終導致查巴·哈伯德在內線得分，達陣得分。

黑豹領先！

Chuba Hubbard 親自帶球進入達陣區 😤

pic.twitter.com/ATZSIDV4b9

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) 2026 年 1 月 11 日

卡羅來納州在比賽中首次取得領先。黑豹隊在最後時刻面對公羊隊10分的優勢，取得了高潮。

布萊斯·楊/杰倫·科克聯手後，公羊隊對陣黑豹隊迎來了新的轉折

公羊隊在凱倫·威廉姆斯的帶領下在第四節重新奪回比分。但普卡·納庫亞永遠不可能做到這一點……甚至沒有接住傳球。

納庫亞在一次關鍵的達陣區傳球中扮演了封閉防守後衛的角色。斯塔福德似乎正在為他本場比賽的第二次攔截做好準備。然而，這位全職業外接手卻罕見地被斷球。

在公羊隊在卡羅萊納紅區內面對第二和第六場比賽后，威廉姆斯繼續在幾場比賽中擊球。

凱倫·威廉姆斯 (Kyren Williams) 憑藉這一達陣讓公羊隊在第四節後期取得領先 🔥

pic.twitter.com/X9mc6vXtDn

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) 2026 年 1 月 11 日

比賽還剩不到八分鐘時，公羊隊以 27-24 反超。隨後，洛杉磯隊對楊和黑豹隊的進攻進行了一次大三出局，迫使棄踢隊出局。

斯塔福德在納庫亞的比賽中進一步發揮了作用——在三名不同的後衛附近接住了一次精彩的接球。那次比賽消耗了 16 碼，但也導致多名黑豹隊球員在碰撞後搖晃。

比賽還剩不到 6 分 05 秒時，公羊隊領先。

卡羅萊納黑豹隊將在外卡賽中主場迎戰洛杉磯公羊隊。這是卡羅萊納隊自 2015 年進入超級碗以來的第一場主場季后賽。黑豹隊球迷對這場對陣備受青睞的公羊隊的比賽感到興奮不已。但卡羅萊納很快就遇到了麻煩。

洛杉磯隊在第一次控球時就通過達陣取得領先。但黑豹隊在第一節末段有機會扳平比分。布萊斯·楊帶領球隊繼續前進，帶領球隊打出了充滿希望的八場比賽。但當黑豹隊進入公羊隊領地時，楊陷入了擁擠的交通中，並被科比·杜蘭特攔截。

公羊隊很快就利用了失誤，在七場比賽后在普卡納庫亞的跑動中得分。第二節初，洛杉磯隊以14-0領先。

布萊斯·楊因早期失誤而讓黑豹隊付出了代價

黑豹隊以8勝9負的戰績闖入季后賽。卡羅萊納隊本有機會確保八年來的首個賽季勝利，並在第 18 週以一場胜利鎖定國聯南部區。但球隊在大雨傾盆的常規賽決賽中輸給了坦帕灣海盜隊。

然而，上週日亞特蘭大獵鷹隊擊敗新奧爾良聖徒隊後，黑豹隊獲得了十年來的第一個分區冠軍。卡羅萊納隊在決勝局中擊敗了海盜隊和獵鷹隊，三支球隊均以 8 勝 9 負的戰績結束比賽。

黑豹隊在賽季結束後在過去四場比賽中輸掉了三場，一瘸一拐地進入了季后賽。儘管卡羅萊納在外卡賽中面臨著艱鉅的任務，但球隊已經戰勝了公羊隊。

卡羅萊納隊在第 13 週以 31-28 擊敗洛杉磯隊。雖然大多數觀察家預計公羊隊將在季后賽中擊敗黑豹隊，但卡羅萊納隊正在奮力拼搏。

黑豹隊在第二節兩次達陣反擊。比賽還剩不到一分鐘時，楊的16碼衝球得分將比分改寫為17-14。

儘管布萊斯·楊在他的第三個 NFL 賽季中取得了進步，但他尚未消除對他成為卡羅萊納黑豹隊四分衛能力的所有質疑。不過，他可能會在周六與洛杉磯公羊隊的國聯外卡比賽中贏得一些額外的支持者。儘管遭遇了殘酷的攔截，這位前狀元秀還是在他職業生涯的第一場季后賽中發揮了重要作用。他的最新作品讓夏洛特重新煥發了活力。

上半場還剩 44 秒時，面對第三位和第十位，楊衝過潛在的車流，完成 16 碼衝球達陣。令人印象深刻的機動性和直覺表現讓黑豹隊在半場結束時距離公羊隊僅三分之差。這位 24 歲的球員正在克服逆境，並不僅僅在大舞台上堅持自己的立場。