The Carolina Panthers have plenty of unknowns heading into the 2025 offseason. Bryce Young's status is not one of them.
Young's prospects looked incredibly bleak earlier this year. Dave Canales benched him after just two games. The confidence had reached all-time lows and the criticism across the media was scathing. He looked more likely to be traded rather than become a franchise-caliber presence in Carolina.
That's not the case anymore. Young got another shot to start and seized it. He looked rejuvenated and much more assured. The poise and confidence he displayed over the second half of 2024 were night and day to anything witnessed previously. There was also a newfound swagger that became impossible to ignore.
The Heisman Trophy winner put the exclamation point on proceedings with a dazzling display at the Atlanta Falcons in Week 18. Canales proclaimed Young as the team's starter in 2025 immediately after. His monumental gamble to give his signal-caller a breather paid off handsomely.
Young silenced his doubters and found his smile again. He's got some work ahead during the offseason, but the Panthers have hope where once there was nothing but pessimism. And make no mistake, the entire league is starting to look at him differently.
Carolina Panthers QB Bryce Young ranked 14th after incredible turnaround
This was reflected in Nick Shook from NFL.com's final quarterback rankings from the regular season. The analyst placed Young in unchartered territory at No. 14, highlighting his resurgence as one of the league's genuine feel-good stories from the 2024 campaign.
"We've arrived at the best quarterback story outside of the QB Index's top five in 2024. [Bryce] Young's future in Carolina appeared doomed after two weeks when he was rightfully benched for Andy Dalton and left to pick up the pieces of his shattered confidence. But as fate may have it, Young received his second chance and capitalized, appearing like the quarterback Carolina thought it was getting when making him the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft. Young grew exponentially in so many areas in 2024. He became a confident passer, found a way to sync his internal clock with the speed of the game, strengthened his composure so much that he became an out-of-structure creator and ended up being one of the most enjoyable watches in the NFL in 2024."Nick Shook, NFL.com
This is the biggest positive imaginable for Young, especially considering how his aspirations looked before stepping things up. It took a lot of self-reflection and adaptation to a new reality. While many high-end picks down on their luck would have floundered, the former Alabama standout thrived.
Young's work ethic and determination to improve didn't go unnoticed by his teammates. They recognized he was striving to excel and threw their weight behind the Mater Dei High School product. This was the spark that ignited the Panthers into life at long last.
It's encouraging, but what comes next is even more important.
The Panthers must recruit well around Young this offseason to enhance his chances of additional progress in 2025. The signal-caller must do his part by avoiding complacency and working on key traits that need some refinement.
If the player and the Panthers achieve their respective objectives before competitive action begins again, Canales' squad could find themselves in the NFC South title picture.