Analyst tips Carolina Panthers QB Bryce Young to silence doubters in 2024

Bryce Young would be wise not to dwell on the past. Everyone knows that the quarterback's first season in a professional environment didn't go according to plan. What's important now is putting that to one side and focusing on a more profitable future.

The Carolina Panthers have done everything in their power to give Young a chance to silence some increasing doubters next season. They invested heavily in their offensive line and revamped the skill positions for good measure. This came at the expense of defensive firepower, but it'll be worth it if the former Alabama star demonstrates the qualities anticipated when he was taken No. 1 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Bryce Young named Carolina Panthers' breakout candidate in 2024

This enhanced supporting cast was enough for Bradley Locker from Pro Football Focus to name Young as one of his primary breakout candidates in 2024. The analyst believes that more explosiveness in the passing attack and having head coach Dave Canales steering him in the right direction could see better days ahead for the Heisman Trophy winner sooner rather than later.

"He might feel like the obvious choice, but [Bryce] Young should be in a considerably better position to succeed this year. Carolina added three weapons in WR Diontae Johnson, WR Xavier Legette and TE Ja'Tavion Sanders, plus beefed up its interior offensive line with Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis. Factor in Dave Canales — who has resuscitated several notable QB careers — and it’s hard not to be bullish about Young in Year 2. We saw glimpses of his talent in the later weeks of the year, in which Young’s 74.5 overall grade from Weeks 15-18 ranked 16th among quarterbacks who dropped back at least 100 times."

Young's lack of consistency last season wasn't just down to the toxic environment he entered. There was some hesitancy in the pocket behind a woeful offensive line. Until he proves capable of making a difference vertically, opposing defenses will continue to clamp down on the short-to-intermediate routes. Therefore, improving his deep ball accuracy will help enormously en route to a potential bounce-back season.

There's no shortage of motivation for Young to right some wrongs in 2024. The criticism he's faced has been scathing and way over the top in some cases. His lack of stability coupled with C.J. Stroud's instant rise to prominence didn't help, but all hope is not lost by any stretch of the imagination.

Those in power remain adamant Young has what it takes to lead the Panthers back to prosperity - they wouldn't have allocated so many resources to the offense otherwise. This vote of confidence should help bring back some self-belief lost during a campaign to forget in 2023. At the same time, it will count for nothing if he cannot repay this faith.

Many have already proclaimed the Panthers picking Young over Stroud as one of the biggest draft mistakes in NFL history. If Locker's prediction is right and Carolina's man under center puts together a genuine breakout season next time around, those who've lambasted the signal-caller in recent months will be ordering large slices of humble pie along the way.

Let's hope for the Panthers' sake this scenario comes to fruition. Otherwise, the ramifications will be catastrophic.