Are Bryce Young And The Carolina Panthers Figuring It Out?

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With their latest season having devolved into yet another fire sale rebuild, fans of the Carolina Panthers entered the month of November with precious little for which to be thankful.

And even less to look forward to…

Former No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young – the player the Panthers mortgaged the future of the franchise to obtain – was benched after an atrocious first two games, dropping his overall record to 2-16 as a starter. To put in perspective just how terrible Young was playing, his name was being linked to that of former Oakland Raiders No. 1 overall pick Jamarcus Russell – heretofore the biggest draft bust in NFL history.

Not only was Young playing worse than Russell, his price tag was much higher – with Panthers’ owner David Tepper having surrendered a king’s ransom to trade up from the No. 8 pick last year to select him first overall.

Young only got a second shot at the starting job because journeyman veteran Andy Dalton, his replacement, sustained a thumb injury during a car accident on October 22, 2024 after picking his kids up from school.

Dalton led the Panthers to victory in his first start of the season, but at the time of the accident the franchise had lost four in a row with him under center.

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Since being reinserted as the Panthers’ starter, Young has played some of the best football of his career – engineering a pair of victories (matching his 2023 win total) and nearly upsetting the defending, two-time Super Bowl champions on Sunday in Charlotte. Young completed 21 of 35 passes for a season-high 263 yards and a touchdown in his team’s heartbreaking 30-27 loss to the Chiefs. He also ran three times for twenty yards as the Panthers took the NFL’s best franchise down to the wire.

“He played his tail off,” three-time Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes said after the game. “He throws a really good football.”

It’s far too soon, obviously, to say whether Young has turned a corner. One thing that’s certain, though, is he has won back his starting job.

“I don’t have to make any statements – he’s making it for himself,” Panthers first-year head coach Dave Canales said after Sunday’s loss to Kansas City. “He’s continued to show us the progress we’re looking for, bringing our skill players to life. A couple plays he’d love to have back, I’m sure – he’d be the first to tell you. But talking about Bryce… he’s showing us what he can do when he’s out there.”

Young completed 11 of 14 throws for 123 yards against Kansas City blitzes, showing he can thrive under pressure. He has also learned to stay – and become significantly more comfortable – in the pocket, making better reads and getting on the same page with his wideouts, including rookie Xavier Legette of South Carolina.

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Bryce to Moore for 6

?: CBS pic.twitter.com/cFKjhzct9G

— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) November 24, 2024

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Young is also taking better care of the football, throwing just one interception in his last three starts after tossing five picks in his first three starts of the season. His intangibles are also starting to take root, with veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen referring to the second-year player as “the messenger of our confidence.”

“We in this locker room love that kid,” Thielen said. “We love that guy and what he means to this team. We had a little bit of an emotional talk after the game, and it just shows what kind of player he is and what he means to this organization and team.”

Certainly, it’s still early days for Young 2.0. The next six weeks will provide us with a much better indicator of his long-term trajectory – and the Panthers’ long-term trajectory with him as their franchise quarterback. Things could continue to improve or they could plateau – or regress.

Also, never underestimate Tepper’s ability to screw up a good thing. Since the liberal billionaire purchased this team, the Panthers have posted a 34-76 (.309) record. Over that stretch, Carolina has failed to reach the playoffs or secure a winning season. In fact, the Panthers would have to win all six of their remaining games to finish above .500 this year. One more loss and they will be guaranteed their seventh consecutive losing season.

Conversely, in the five years before Tepper bought the team, the Panthers went 54-31-1 (.621) – reaching the playoffs four times and making it to Super Bowl 50.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and seven children.

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