Carolina Panthers No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young could not have had a worse start to his professional career, as he followed a terrible rookie season under Frank Reich with a benching just two weeks into life under Dave Canales.
Young's hot finish to the 2024 season has helped breathe new life into his tenure as Panthers quarterback, which comes as a relief to his old coach in Reich. After all, Reich helped oversee a rookie year that would have ruined players with less fortitude.
"It was terrible for him; it was terrible for all of us who were a part of it," said Reich, who is the interim head coach at a Stanford program managed by his prize pupil in Andrew Luck. "There were so many things to unwind there before it could get going in the right direction, and that just takes time."
Reich, who did lament the fact that he was fired so soon into his Panthers career before he could implement his master plan to fix Young, did mention that he is extremely happy that Young managed to turn it around at the end of last season, saying that everyone knew he was going to be a good player.
Frank Reich discusses "terrible" rookie year for Panthers QB Bryce Young
Young went 2-14 as a starter in his rookie year, throwing just 11 touchdowns against just 10 interceptions. However, given Reich's firing and a roster that was as bad as any in the league, it's not unusual to see a young player who is a historical size outlier for the position take some lumps early on.
Young's numbers since reclaiming the starting job last year aren't All-Pro-level impressive, as he threw 15 touchdown passes against six interceptions (88.9 passer rating). Seven of those scores came in the last three games, when Carolina was eliminated from postseason contention.
However, Young did look much more confident, accurate, and loose during that time. If he can sustain that quality level of play for a full season under Canales, the Panthers may yet look justified in using the No. 1 pick on Young despite his physical disadvantages.
Reich wasn't exactly working with the Greatest Show on Turf around Young in his rookie year, and both parties deserve equal blame for how rough the 2023 season was. However, Young's natural talent is starting to shine through, and Reich has to be happy that 2023 didn't break him mentally.