3 best-case Carolina Panthers scenarios after the 2024 bye week

Bryce Young makes the most of his second chance

Bryce Young’s struggles to open the year and subsequent benching were well documented. Local and national media scrutinized not just the second-year quarterback but Dave Canales and Dan Morgan to figure out exactly who was at fault. Since returning, the signal-caller is starting to make the decision look like a retroactive stroke of genius.

Young has looked much more comfortable and confident in the pocket. He has shown an ability to progress past the first read, trust his offensive line, and not immediately dash for the sideline. When needed, he can push a few balls 10-plus yards downfield into tight windows, usually on a crossing route from the receiver or to a back corner.

Canales, to his credit, is calling pass plays that suit Young's strengths while masking his size limitations. This lets him use the sides of the field rather than try and stretch plays down the middle while seeing over much larger players.

There are still a bafflingly high number of screens and dump-offs on third-and-longs. And Young isn’t exactly lighting up the stat sheet, but compared to the performances fans were subjected to earlier this season, it’s remarkably better.

If Young continues to play at a serviceable level, he could work his way back into the team’s plans for the future as a best-case scenario, or at least let them trust him to stopgap for 2025 given the lack of quarterback options in the upcoming draft. Not to mention if the team wins a few more games, it wouldn’t be at a high enough spot to take a college signal-caller like Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders.

Young played against two of the worst defenses in the league. The upcoming game against the Kansas City Chiefs will provide a better litmus test as to where he stands compared to other starting quarterbacks around the league. The Panthers will likely be forced to throw early and often. Is the No. 1 pick in 2023 up to the task?

He doesn’t need to be a superstar. Young just needs to play mistake-free ball and put his receivers into position to make plays. The rest will work itself out.

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