Bryce Young, Justin Fields tap into faith as young Black quarterbacks

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The 16 is an ongoing essay series on the record number of Black quarterbacks starting in the NFL during the 2025 season.

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RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young took a step forward and a step back on Sunday, while New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields took another giant step toward career frustration.

The mission was inconclusive for two young quarterbacks — one looking to prove he is the franchise player Carolina drafted (Young), the other looking to salvage his career as a starting NFL quarterback after stops in Chicago, Pittsburgh and now New York (Fields). Neither player finished the game on Sunday but for significantly different reasons. Young was unable to finish because of an ankle injury. Fields was benched because of ineffectiveness.

In a season when half of the starting NFL quarterbacks to begin the season were Black, the travails of Young and Fields offer an insight into the rigors of playing football’s most important position, learning the position and keeping the position through the course of an NFL season.

Being African American makes the mountain steeper. It always has.

Young has a sense of that history. While he is only 24 years old, Young said he is aware of the legacy of Black quarterbacks in the NFL and understands where he fits in that tradition. He said that the history is important to him.

“Yes, it definitely is,” he said during a recent interview in Charlotte. “There have been a lot of pioneers who paved the way, and I’m proud to be part of that tradition.”

Young was raised in Pasadena, California, and was aware of the increasing number of Black quarterbacks entering the NFL by the time he began playing high school football. But he understood the significance of being a Black quarterback long before then.

“When I was younger and choosing a position and playing flag football, there definitely was a certain stereotype, there were narratives about what we could and couldn’t do,” he said. “So, I take a lot of pride in that and I’m grateful to be part of that fraternity. All the people around the league I know and have a ton of respect [for], so it’s definitely significant.”

Sunday’s game marked the first time Fields and Young faced each other either in college or the NFL. Young said he really didn’t know Fields that well.

“I’ve been around him a couple of times. The times I’ve been around him, it’s been great,” Young said. “I know a lot of people that are close with him; I have a ton of respect for him, a ton of respect for his game. From a quarterback standpoint, you kind of learn a lot just because you always watch your film and watch a bunch of people again. So, from being able to watch him and watch him play and watch his film, I have a ton of respect.”

Young was born in 2001, the year Michael Vick became the first Black quarterback to be drafted No. 1 overall.

“I’ve been able to have the privilege to meet Mike and talk to him, so I have a ton of respect for the fact that he’s one of the pioneers,” Young said. “He’s part of the foundation, one of the first to break down a barrier, and there have been so many others before me. All of that matters to me.”

Young won the Heisman Trophy at Alabama and was the top pick in the 2023 NFL draft. In 2024 after a pair of poor starts, he was benched in favor of veteran Andy Dalton. After Dalton was injured in a car accident, Young was reinserted into the starting lineup. He improved during the second half of the season and the improvement has continued this season.

Through seven games this season, Young has thrown for 1,288 yards, 11 passing touchdowns and five interceptions. Before he was injured on Sunday, Young had completed 15 of 25 passes for 138 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions.

Fields, 26, was selected in the first round of the 2021 draft by the Chicago Bears, but after three tumultuous seasons there he was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers. After a season with mixed results there, he signed a two-year, $40 million contract with the Jets.

Young was impressive for the time he played on Sunday, while Fields’ problems continued.

While Young led Carolina to a come-from-behind victory against Dallas two weeks ago, Fields performed poorly against Denver in London. On Sunday, Young was looking to build on that positive performance, and Fields was looking for redemption. Neither young quarterback achieved his objective. Greater challenges await in physical rehabilitation for Young and mental rehab for Fields.

Young was injured and replaced by Dalton, a 14-year veteran, late in the third quarter. Fields was replaced in the third by 13-year veteran Tyrod Taylor.

In the long run, these veterans may help Young and Fields survive and prosper.

While Dalton filled in, he made it clear when we spoke last week in Charlotte that he thinks Young has what it takes to be a highly successful NFL quarterback.

“He was a No. 1 pick for a reason,” Dalton said after practice last week. “He’s got a great process. He understands the game of football really well. He can see things before they happen. Couple that with his accuracy and his ability to extend and use his athletic ability within the pocket, he’s made some unbelievable plays this year for us that not a lot of guys can make. And he’s extending plays, getting out, and then using his athletic ability to push the ball down the field and get it to our guys.”

The ever-present knock on Young is something he can do nothing about. At 5-foot-10 or 5-11, critics continue to wonder whether he can prevail in a league dominated by defensive behemoths. Young’s existential mountain to climb is demonstrating that his size doesn’t matter.

Dalton doesn’t think it matters at all.

“I tell people that’s his superpower, because he’s always been that size,” Dalton said. “It’s not something where he’s saying, ‘Man, I wish I was taller.’ No, he’s like, ‘I’ve always been this size, and I’ve always been really good.’ So, for him the size doesn’t matter. He’s found a way to make it happen.”

Which is why Sunday’s injury was so disappointing for Young. He led Carolina on three scoring drives, including a 3-yard touchdown pass and two field goals.

Panthers head coach Dave Canales said that at the time of his injury, Young “was doing excellent throwing in rhythm, making sure we were getting to the right runs based on the looks. He’s been just continuing to build off that, feeling confident about our process and being able to push our football forward. So, he’s been doing a great job.”

By the time he was replaced by Taylor, Fields had completed six of 12 passes for 46 yards.

Taylor will help soothe Fields’ hurt feelings. He is not out to take Fields’ job. Taylor wants to play, but he is also with the Jets to help Fields be successful.

“As a competitor, you always want to start, but that’s not my decision,” Taylor said after Sunday’s game. “Nor will I feel anyway emotionally about whatever coach’s decision decides. I’ll be ready for the opportunity, but I’m also here to support Justin.”

A couple of weeks ago, Taylor expanded on his role with Fields as a teammate, a mentor and a Black quarterback who has been through the grind. Taylor, drafted in 2011, has started games for six NFL franchises. He understands the ups and downs a quarterback endures, and especially the impact those ups and downs can have on a young Black quarterback, regardless of the financial compensation.

“I try to enlighten him on the things that I’ve learned over the years as far as just being able to talk about ball, talk about life,” Taylor said. “Even when he was in Chicago and then last season, I’ve been able to share my experience when I was in Buffalo and kind of seeing some other similarities.

“The media can make you feel one way when the reality is something different.”

Although they do not know each other well, Young and Fields have their faith in common — faith that has allowed them to endure the ups and downs, slings and arrows that go with being quarterbacks in general and highly scrutinized African American quarterbacks in particular.

After his benching on Sunday, Fields said he was relying on his faith to see him through this rough patch.

“I’ve been through a lot in my career, especially my NFL career and my college career,” he said. “I’m probably at a low right now. I think the old me would feel a certain type of way, but now my faith is so rooted in Christ to where nothing can break me.

“No matter what I go through in life, I know I’m strong enough to handle it, I know He’s strong enough to help me handle it. This thing that’s happening right now is a great opportunity for me to spread His word.”

Last week, when I asked Young about the source of his strength, he also mentioned faith.

“I’m very blessed and super grateful to be on the journey of life that I’m on,” Young said. “I’m a big believer that everything happens for a reason, a big believer that God ordains all my steps. I don’t believe I’m in control of the grand, big picture of my life, and because of that, I may be able to be confident in what I do, confident in my process. It lifts that burden for me. My faith has allowed me to be where I’m at.”

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