Bryce Young benching justifies Patriots' patient approach with Drake Maye

The naming of Jacoby Brissett as the Patriots' starting quarterback seemed like a decision that had been known for months, but it became a lot more controversial than initially anticipated, despite Jerod Mayo and Co. having made it clear all along that was the plan for the 2024 season.

The veteran was signed to be the bridge quarterback for an incoming rookie, who happened to become Drake Maye, and was said to be the starter no matter who the team drafted. It just so happens that the rookie outplayed Brissett during the preseason, leading many to believe that he should have been the player put under center.

But the coaching staff stuck with what they had said from the beginning and put Brissett in that role, allowing Maye to learn from the sideline as the season began.

It's a decision that has come under fire again now that the Patriots have lost a game that could have been avoided. The disappointing result hinged mostly on the shortcomings of the offense, much of which rode on Brissett's shoulders. This led to many calling for him to be benched and replaced with Maye.

While it's not an entirely unfair demand, given how the offense has collectively looked over the first two weeks of the season, there are far more cons to throwing Maye into the mix right now than many want to admit. The latest prime example is the unfortunate situation surrounding Panthers quarterback Bryce Young.

The announcement of the second-year signal caller's benching on Tuesday morning was shocking, as Young was the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and much of Carolina's failures are not squarely on his shoulders.

However, a messy organization will yield this kind of rash decision-making, which could have been avoided from the beginning had the organization properly prepared the team for an incoming rookie quarterback, something the Patriots are trying to do with Maye.

The Panthers disastrous handling of a promising young quarterback proves the Patriots are doing right by Drake Maye

Despite the naysayers' arguments about the Patriots needing to have Maye start as soon as possible, the Panthers' failure to build an adequate offense to properly support a rookie quarterback proves beyond any doubt that the Patriots are handling their rookie with much more care.

An offense doesn't need to be filled with top-name receivers and running backs with massive contracts to be the right fit for a rookie quarterback, but they do need to have solid protection from their offensive line, reliable pass catchers, and a sturdy run game to succeed.

The Panthers have been an absolute mess over the last several years, putting Young into a situation to fail. That makes his benching far more confusing, even if he has contributed to many of the issues the offense has dealt with so far this season.

Benching him for organizational failures is not fair, and that could very easily be Maye's future if the Patriots followed the same path as the Panthers. While it can be argued that Maye is or will be a better quarterback than Young, it still doesn't negate the possible fate of his career had he been dealt the same circumstances.

It's certainly not a popular decision to keep Maye on the bench, but based on the malpractice by the Panthers or even the mishandling of Mac Jones in New England shows that it's better to be cautious with the future of your franchise than get greedy and throw them in before they or the team is ready.

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