Out of the bye week, the Carolina Panthers will have an up-front look at the quarterback they drafted and the quarterback they could have had. 

The Houston Texans are coming to town, meaning C.J. Stroud, the quarterback taken right after Bryce Young, will face Carolina's defense. And ahead of the matchup, Panthers head coach Frank Reich doubled down on his belief in Young — despite Stroud's strong start to his career. 

“I thought the whole quarterback draft class was a good class,” Reich said when asked for his thoughts on Stroud Monday."If you looked at my scorecard on all of them, I thought they were all good players. We just thought Bryce was the best. I thought Bryce was the best. Not taking anything away from anybody else. So, we are excited to have him."

To this point, despite what Reich said, Stroud has been the better quarterback. 

Stroud has completed nearly 60% of his passes while throwing for 1,660 yards, nine touchdowns, and only one interception. His stats almost put Young to shame. 

The Panthers' rookie quarterback has completed 63% of his passes for 967 yards, six touchdowns, and four interceptions. 

In recent weeks, Young has shown signs of improvement. But Stroud is still beating Young in the important stat — wins. 

Stroud has captained the Houston Texans to a 3-3 record, while Young remains winless. 

For Young, however, there is a sign of life. Going into the bye week, the Panthers shifted play-calling duties from Reich to offensive coordinator Thomas Brown, who used to be a member of the Sean McVay coaching tree. 

Young, when the decision was announced, explained that he was excited for the change. 

And there is no better game to prove that he deserved to be the No. 1 pick than the game against the guy taken after him, who has also outplayed him through the first eight weeks of the NFL season. 

Brian Burns not ‘expected’ to be traded ahead of NFL trade deadline

Brian Burns, the Carolina Panthers defensive star, isn’t expected to be traded ahead of the trade deadline, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.

Panthers gauging interest in Donte Jackson ahead of trade deadline

The Carolina Panthers are trying to do two things at the trade deadline — buy and sell.

Panthers willing to trade Brian Burns to preserve Bryce Young’s future

It shouldn’t be a surprise — the Carolina Panthers are going to do everything they can to preserve the future of rookie quarterback Bryce Young.