Twenty games. That’s how long it had been since the Carolina Panthers scored a touchdown on their opening drive. But Andy Dalton changed all that, leading the team to a 36-22 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk didn’t mince words about the impact: “Bryce Young out, Andy Dalton in, and what a difference it made.” He gushed, “Kudos to the Panthers, and the Panthers fans are all activated now.” But he put a warning in place, “Let’s see what you do as the year goes on.”

The 36-year-old veteran Dalton threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns. This was not just an ordinary win; it was a statement. As Chris Simms noted, “Andy Dalton from anybody you talked about outperformed Bryce Young all spring, all training camp.” He added, “The team took the field yesterday like, ‘Hey, we got somebody here today that’s going to attack, and maybe we can call some plays that we couldn’t call with Bryce Young.'”

This performance stood in stark contrast to Young’s struggles. The former number-one pick had been benched after a dismal 0-2 start, during which he completed just 55.4% of his passes with zero touchdowns and three interceptions. His 8.9 quarterback rating ranks last in the NFL, over 14 points worse than the next qualified QB.

Panthers head coach Dave Canales insists they’re not looking to trade Young. But as Florio pointed out, “If they’re not going to use him, they should do right by him and trade him to a team that will give him a chance to flourish in a non-dysfunctional environment.”

But then things might take an interesting turn. Take the Justin Fields-Bears Playbook for instance. Before you could say ‘pizza pie,’ the Bears traded their QB to the Steelers. And now, he’s a star in Pittsburgh with a three-game winning streak for the first time in his career. After their 20-10 win over the Chargers, Fields said: “I’ve grown a lot in the past year and over the last few months so I’m definitely feeling a lot more settled out there on the field.”

Could Young be the next Fields? The Miami Dolphins seem to think so.

Is Bryce Young’s trade value on the line?

NFL insider Adam Schefter has announced on his Twitter account that several teams have contacted Carolina already about the maybe Young trade. Among them? The Dolphins.

Yet here’s the rub : Young’s trade value isn’t exactly shooting through the roof. When the Panthers mortgaged their future for him 1st overall, it all panned out rather rockily in the NFL. Carolina is 2-16 with Young under center — the worst through 18 games of any Super Bowl-era quarterback picked top overall.

Dan Graziano of ESPN wasn’t pulling any punches: “Barring an injury to Dalton, I say there’s a better chance that Young gets traded before the deadline (or in the offseason) than he starts again for the Panthers.”

The clock is ticking for Carolina. Do they cut their losses now, hoping to recoup some value? Or do they gamble on Young rediscovering his Alabama magic? As Florio noted, “We’ll see it. They might fall off, and they might need him again here later on.”

One thing’s for sure – the NFL rumor mill is working overtime, and Bryce Young’s future is the hottest topic in town.