Ryan Leaf rips Panthers for their handling of Bryce Young

Dec 28, 2017; San Diego, CA, USA; Former NFL and Washington State Cougars player Ryan Leaf looks on before the game against the Michigan State Spartans in the 2017 Holiday Bowl at SDCCU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Notorious NFL Draft bust Ryan Leaf thinks the Carolina Panthers are setting Bryce Young up to fail.

Leaf was strongly critical of the Panthers over their decision to bench Young, the No. 1 pick in 2023, two games into the new season. According to Leaf, the Panthers set Young up to fail, and the organization’s decisions have completely sapped Young’s confidence.

“They screwed this thing up from the get-go, though. I mean, this organization is horrible,” Leaf told TMZ Sports. “This organization has done nothing to try to help and develop a player that has so much expectation on him. And so, I laid this at the feet of the organization completely.

“He has zero confidence right now. No one believes in him and no one has his back. And I know what that feels like. You don’t want to go into the office. You don’t want to be around anybody. Football seems so toxic to you because you’ve always had that. You’ve always had success. And you’ve always been the guy that everybody loved to lift up and follow and everything like that.”

Leaf was the second overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers, and he fell flat amid high expectations. He clearly feels the Panthers are at risk of putting Young in the same boat.

Leaf is not the only one hammering the Panthers over how they have handled Young. It remains to be seen whether the young quarterback can be salvaged, but for what it’s worth, the Panthers do not seem interested in completely giving up on him.

Young started the season by throwing for 245 yards over two games, with no touchdowns and three interceptions.