Panthers' energy shifts as Dave Canales keeps Bryce Young trapped in caution

The New Orleans Saints showed the Carolina Panthers’ remaining opponents the blueprint for beating this team moving forward. Stifle the run game early, mainly Rico Dowdle, and force Bryce Young to beat you.

In Week 10, Young showed he could not do that.  

Young has thrown for over 200 passing yards just once, in the failed Week 2 comeback attempt against the Arizona Cardinals. Most of those yards came in garbage time with Carolina down big and going up against a depleted secondary. While you can’t argue against the quarterback being clutch in the fourth quarter, his lack of threat through the air is a genuine concern.  

It’s hard to argue that general manager Dan Morgan has not done his bit to help the third-year signal-caller succeed.

Carolina Panthers need to take the training wheels off Bryce Young for good

The Panthers have the most expensive offensive line in the league, back-to-back first-round picks at wide receiver, and have taken a tight end in consecutive drafts. They’ve surrounded Young with talent, but the former Alabama star has failed to elevate those around him.  

The drop off since the end of last season has been stark, and it begs the question: Is Canales doing too much to shield Young from turnover issues?

One notable element for the Panthers has been the lack of deep throws this season, something they did regularly when Young returned from his benching at the back end of the 2024 season.  

Carolina’s longest pass play this season was a 40-yard catch and run by Tetairoa McMillan in Week 2, which proves the lack of explosiveness in the passing offense. Questions have been raised regularly about Young's lack of arm strength, particularly given his size. But even this season, the player is throwing with much less zip than in previous years.  

A look back at the Saints game proves this. Young threw his only interception of the day to Alontae Taylor; he almost floated the ball perfectly into the hands of the former Tennessee star. Even if the defensive back were not in the area, the pass would have likely fallen short of its intended target.  

We know Canales’ philosophy is to establish the run early to open up the passing game, but when a team stifles Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard, the Panthers must adapt. That hasn’t been the case, pointing to a lack of trust between the head coach and quarterback.

Outside of McMillan, the Panthers have a subpar passing offense, but Young is not without blame by any stretch of the imagination.

With seven games left in 2025, this is critical for both Young and Canales. This offseason, the team must decide whether to pick up his fifth-year option. While things have not been good enough this season, is the alternative any better?