Bryce Young's turnaround over the second half of 2024 was remarkable. Many in the media thought he was done after head coach Dave Canales benched him following a disappointing two-game stretch to start the campaign. The signal-caller displayed tremendous resolve in the face of adversity to give himself a fighting chance.
Canales was widely criticized for sending Young to the fringes. Some analysts believed they were giving up on the former No. 1 pick too soon. As it turned out, this provided the rude awakening he needed to flourish.
Young looked confident and poised. He found his love for football again. The Heisman Trophy winner used his time away from the spotlight favorably. His surge in consistency saw the Panthers become more competitive and increased hope for the future.
The Panthers have already confirmed Young as their starting quarterback in 2025. More progress is expected and needed, but the Alabama product has scheme familiarity for the first time as Carolina enjoys some welcome stability across the board.
There is hope, at the very least. Belief has returned, both within Young and in his teammates. Fans are also fully behind the signal-caller and Canales is confident it's the start of something special.
NFL analyst provides cautionary tale around Bryce Young's improvement
That's not an opinion shared by everyone. Gary Davenport from The Bleacher Report acknowledged Young's improved production. However, the analyst hinted that this has only bought him one more season under center after placing him at No. 24 in his end-of-season quarterback rankings.
"Not that long ago, [Bryce] Young appeared headed for the status of one of the bigger draft busts in recent memory. But when Young returned from his midseason benching last year, his level of play improved markedly. By year's end, he had shown enough improvement as a passer to at the very least buy himself one more season at the helm of Carolina's offense."Gary Davenport
It's who Davenport had ahead of Young that was especially puzzling. Michael Penix Jr. started just two games for the Atlanta Falcons yet found himself above Young, who beat him in the regular-season finale. Drake Maye, Caleb Williams, and Trevor Lawrence were other contentious choices to place above the Mater Dei High School product.
This was disrespectful to a certain extent. It won't matter to Young either way. His primary focus centers on developing all areas of his game, building on this newfound momentum, and becoming a better leader. Everything should take of itself after that.
One could make a case for Young being a lot higher on this list. Some have him in the top 15 after a series of superb performances that brought more wins and took some of the league's best right to their limits. It is a genuine feel-good story that has the scope to spark this perennial struggler into life. That's the most important element of this equation.
Once Young's supporting cast improves and he becomes even more familiar with Canales' schematic demands, it's hard to envisage a scenario where he falls flat on his face. And if that happens, it won't be much longer before he propels up national quarterback rankings around the media.