To say that Bryce Young has had a rocky start to his NFL career would be an understatement. In his rookie season, the Panthers went just 2-15, where Young threw eleven passing touchdowns to ten interceptions. Young was immediately labeled as one of the biggest draft busts of the past decade; everyone began to take their shots, saying that Young was undersized and couldn’t process the field fast enough. The start of his sophomore year wasn’t much better; he lost his first two games to the Saints and Chargers by a combined sixty points. Shortly after this, Young was benched for Andy Dalton. It seemed like his time as an NFL starter might be over. Fortunately for Young, he would get another chance to start in Week 8 after Andy Dalton unexpectedly injured his thumb in a car crash. To everyone’s surprise, Young steadily showed more and more promise throughout the back half of the season and became one of the feel-good stories of the NFL this season. This all culminated in an overtime win against the Falcons in Week 18, where Young threw for 251 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, and rushed for two—his best performances as an NFL starter by far. After his tumultuous start, it finally looks like Bryce has the potential to be the player everyone thought he could be. But the question remains: what exactly changed to make Young such a better player?
One of the big tangible improvements I’ve seen in Bryce Young is his pocket presence. Where before it seemed like Young moved in fear of being sacked, now he moves with a lot more purpose. Specifically, I think that Young has gotten a lot better at his drop back and climbing the pocket when he needs to. Looking at the Week 14 game against the Eagles and the Week 18 game against the Falcons, there are several instances of Young stepping up in the pocket to extend the play. This was much more than he ever did in his rookie year. It also helps that his offensive line has given up 90 fewer pressures and 20 fewer sacks compared to the 2023 season. Both of these factors contribute to creating more time for Young and the Panthers’ receivers, which has led to more explosive plays this year.
Ironically, I think Bryce Young is better than some starting quarterbacks in the league because of his anticipation. Despite everyone who criticized Young last offseason for not processing the game quickly enough, we’ve seen him make some amazing throws during the 2024 season. One example was in the Chiefs game in Week 12 right before halftime. The Panthers ran a smash concept with David Moore as the corner, and even before he began to make separation from the target, Young launched the ball to Moore. By the time Moore had separation, the ball was already halfway to the target, and there was nothing the defense could do. These throws show that Young has a deep understanding of the game and the talent to succeed in the NFL.
Despite not making the playoffs this year, it’s finally clear that the Panthers have their quarterback of the future, and that’s a win in itself. The Panthers also made the right call with head coach Dave Canales, who works well with Young and knows what he needs to improve to be successful. This team has a lot of potential, and moving forward, the Panthers just need to continue bringing in talent to help Young and build up his confidence. If everything goes well, I believe Young can be a top quarterback and a franchise player for years to come.
