Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young has come quite a long way from the man who was benched just two games into his second season, as he is prepared to take charge as Carolina's franchise quarterback. Former Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart was one of many who knew that despite the bumps in the road, Young would figure it out.
In an exclusive interview with FanSided on behalf of Oral-B and Crest, Stewart said that the biggest difference between rookie-year Young and what Panthers fans have now is the right amount of talent and coaching around him to maximize his skillsets.
"You look at Bryce, you look at what he's had to encounter...he came into this league with a seasoning cabinet that just had pepper and salt in it," Stewart said. "I think the guys that are on this roster now, obviously gives him the best shot at becoming who we always seen him to be as a quarterback, and that's Bama Bryce."
Carolina Panthers great Jonathan Stewart thinks team can maximize Bryce Young in 2026
After three games, Young's 313 passing yards per game leads the NFL. Getting an offensive coach like Dave Canales certainly helped, as did using a Top 10 pick on a No. 1 receiver like Tetairoa McMillan, but Young going from a turnstile offensive line to a respectable unit has paid dividends for Carolina.
The additions of Robert Hunt, Damien Lewis, and top rookie Monroe Freeling create an environment wherein Young can distrubute the ball to McMillan and one of the team's best undrafted free agent finds in years in Jalen Coker. Even with the size limitations that will always hang over him, Young has found a way to be productive.
The always honest Stewart knows firsthand about the trials and tribulations that young quarterbacks picked highly in the Draft can go through, as he saw Cam Newton go from an up-and-down rookie in 2011 to a league MVP in 2015.
Jonathan Stewart thinks Chuba Hubbard is helping Bryce Young develop
Stewart took time to single out the emergence of Chuba Hubbard as one of the main reasons Young took off. After sitting behind Christian McCaffrey, Hubbard broke out with an expanded role, and Young has reaped the rewards.
Stewart said that "the live reps" Hubbard received have helped him flip the proverbial on switch. Stewart noted a 2022 win against the Detroit Lions, in which he and D'Onta Foreman led a Panthers rushing attack that topped 300 yards rushing on the afternoon, as a lightbulb moment in Hubbard's development.
Stewart said the game "has to slow down" for a running back to reach his full potential and stop overthinking. That, in tandem with a work ethic Stewart praised, made him one of Young's more trusted role players.
Young is starting to put it all together after a benching that many lesser quarterbacks would not recover from. Stewart is seemingly all-in on Young's potential for even more growth out of No. 9 in the years to come, especially in a weak division that Carolina may be poised to rule.
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