Bryce Young is clearly the quarterback of the present for the Carolina Panthers. Whether he remains the quarterback of the future for the Panthers will largely be determined by the way he performs in the 2025 season. The Panthers drafted Young at the start of the 2023 season with the No. 1 pick in that year's draft. They acquired the top pick in a trade with the Chicago Bears. The Bears received four draft picks from the Panthers for the No. 1 slot in the draft along with wide receiver D.J. Moore. They used the last of those picks to select wide receiver Luther Burden from Missouri.
At the time, the trade was considered a huge victory for the Bears. They received the No. 9 pick in the first round in 2023 as well as a second round pick in that draft. Additionally they picked up Carolina's first-round pick in 2024 and the second-round pick this season.
The first-round pick in 2024 turned out to be the first pick overall and Chicago used it to select quarterback Caleb Williams. The Heisman Trophy winner displayed multiple skills in his rookie year for the Bears, but he was able to do very little to change the Bears' losing ways. Chicago finished with a 5-12 record last season.
Similarly, Young has not performed the way the No. 1 overall choice is expected to perform either. He had a disastrous rookie season and he was replaced early in his second season by backup Andy Dalton. However, when Young was reinserted back into the lineup later in the year, he picked up his performance dramatically.
Burden could add to the Bears' receiving crew
The Bears are expecting their offense to show quite a bit of improvement on offense in the upcoming season. New head coach Ben Johnson is considered one of most innovative game planners in the league, and he has stated his excitement at working with Williams and bringing his game up a key level. Moore, Rome Odunze, Burden and rookie tight end Colston Loveland are expected to be his primary receivers.
Moore is a proven veteran, while Odunze is preparing for his second year with the Monsters of the Midway. Loveland is expected to be a big-play tight end, while Burden may have an opportunity to make a number of key plays, That's because Moore, Odunze and Loveland are expected to get most of the attention from opposing defensive backs.
The Bears look significantly better on paper as the offseason progresses, but the competition in the NFC North is quite imposing as the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers all made the playoffs last season. There's no reason to believe that any of those teams will slip badly in 2025.
