When the Panthers benched Bryce Young after Week 2, rumors about a 2025 separation swirled. The team had bailed on a No. 1 overall pick after 17 starts, leading to trade offers coming in before the deadline. Plenty has changed over the past two months.
Andy Dalton sustaining minor injuries in a car accident led Young back into Carolina’s lineup, and the team did not sit him down. Young played much better during this season’s second half and is poised to have a chance to build on that momentum heading into next season. Both David Tepper and Dave Canales offered endorsements of the former Heisman winner as Carolina’s 2025 starter.
Tepper said (via NFL.com’s Cameron Wolfe) he thinks the Panthers have “got our QB here,” while Canales said postgame (via The Athletic’s Joe Person) the team indeed has its guy at the position. Young closed the season with a 251-yard passing outing in a game that featured him account for four touchdowns, powering the Panthers to knock the Falcons out of the playoff race.
“Bryce is our quarterback. I’m so proud of the way that he took the challenge and he just grew,” Canales said. “Every week he took new lessons, new things, applied it to his game. Was engaged, challenging the guys, the whole thing.”
After checking in with a QBR south of 10 upon being benched, Young made significant strides under Canales after his second 2024 stint as the team’s starter. Young, who struggled throughout his rookie season while leading an undermanned offense, ranked 20th in QBR (54.5). Young piloted the Panthers to a 4-6 record once he reclaimed the reins, finishing the season with 15 TD passes (to nine INTs) and a 6.3 yards-per-attempt number. These are obviously not franchise QB-caliber numbers, but they represent an improvement that has changed Carolina’s QB outlook.
A source close to Young said (via ESPN.com’s David Newton) Canales gave up on Young upon benching him, and Young wondered at points if he had a future in Charlotte. With Canales not classifying the benching as a reset — instead shifting to Dalton on a full-time basis — Young was certainly within his rights to express concern about his long-term NFL future. Th0ugh, the team had planned to give Young more starts before season’s end; Dalton’s car accident accelerated that timetable. The Panthers, though, rebuffed midseason trade interest — as the Colts did with Anthony Richardson — even if they still were noncommittal about Young’s post-2024 status at that point. That stance has since changed.
After the Panthers made several signings and draft investments to beef up their offense to better equip Young, they are now again committed to bettering his situation. The Panthers will have some work to do at wide receiver, having traded Diontae Johnson and Jonathan Mingo and with Adam Thielen wrapping an age-34 season, but the team added high-priced guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis — before extending Chuba Hubbard. More work can certainly be done around Young’s rookie contract, which runs through 2026. The Panthers do not need to make their fifth-year option call on the 5-foot-10 QB until May of that year.
He has looked pretty good. They need a TE who is often a security blanket andmore help but they can make a climb to 8 wins.
Ja’Tavion Sanders they drafted in round 4, with mid 2nd round talent last year. I think he needs to take a huge leap forward next year. Adding a WR1 will also help that offense, since they paid the Guards alot of money last season, I believe they should add tackles in the draft and offset the salary costs. Happy for BY, he’s definitely took that demotion seriously and used it as motivation. Also, kudos for Canales for pushing BY and also challenging him with his own job security/credibility at risk.
Sanders is talented, but just wayyyy too inconsistent to be comfortable with his work going forward. I’ve seen him drop too many crucial catches-some quite easy-to think that he’s a sure thing in the future. Tremble is in the same boat, though what he has in slightly slightly higher consistency he makes up for in penalties.
They probably need to hedge the Brooks investment with another back after his injuries. Hubbard got leaned up extremely heavily this year. In an 18 game season, he’s not going to be enough to make it the stretch, and his production’s too valuable to dispense. He’s well rounded, so Carolina could go with several styles in terms of runner, but it’d be good to see someone who can handle decent number of Carrie’s to take pressure both off of Hubbard and Young. Perhaps more importantly, whomever it is will NEED to be a heads up and capable pass protector. Those things make me gravitate towards someone like Samaje Perine with the Chiefs, if the new back is a vet (which would give Brooks a chance to return and show his value).
The WR issue has already been covered, but it bears mentioning that Legette hasn’t looked bad. The Panthers just need a more reliable passing offense to give more opportunities for him down the field. You would wonder if an underneath RAC receiver could help the diminutive Young with easy yard manufacturers (someone like a healthy Samuel…?). Right now, the offense doesn’t really have that, and it makes it more difficult to attack downfield.
The defense…well, it needs talent at almost every spot. Thompson is on the back end of his career, which will need addressing. Brown at least is a force inside, and Horn has been great when healthy. Carolina just needs so much more. Clowney is useful, but he should have stayed in Baltimore after his resurgent season. There just aren’t enough playmakers for him to maximize his impact, and he won’t elevate the defense rush on his own at his age. Wonnum missed time, but Carolina has to hope for more from him going forward, as he needs to be a leader on that edge rush. The Panthers just really need help at a lot of spots, and you could throw a stone and find a position that could use investment across the board on defense.
As they should. Most forget – even with the draft pedigree – he was just a 22 year old kid thrust into a perennial loser organization. Tough spot for anyone to learn on the go. Looks like he can figure it out in this league though.
Agreed. We have seen guys look poorly being jammed in the wrong fit. I do not know if Canales is the guy, but I don’t think Bryce is a bust.
If QB is the most important position on offense, shouldn’t your scheme be tailored to what they’re good at?
Panthers should look into a true threat TE OLine and multiple edge rushers
He seems to have a good attitude, taking his benching in stride, and seeking to learn and become better…and he has!