Analysts casts fresh doubt on Bryce Young's bounce-back chances in 2024

Opinions are split on Bryce Young entering his second season. Some believe he was a victim of circumstance with the Carolina Panthers during a dismal rookie campaign. Others feel like the pre-draft concerns and fundamental flaws mean this could end up being one of the biggest draft mistakes in NFL history.

There doesn't seem to be any in-between right now. Thankfully for Young, the Panthers remain highly confident in his abilities and did everything in their power to surround the signal-caller with the sort of environment where he can flourish moving forward.

The appointment of Dave Canales coupled with some intriguing additions to the supporting cast for Young has the scope to propel his consistency levels considerably. He's putting in the hard work and improving key areas such as footwork throughout early workouts. Carolina is also molding a scheme to suit his skill set, which he didn't benefit from last season and suffered accordingly.

Analyst outlines concerns around Bryce Young in 2024

Optimism is slowly returning to the fanbase. However, that's not something shared by everyone regarding Young's fortunes when competitive action begins in Week 1 at the New Orleans Saints.

Chris Trapasso from CBS Sports was the latest to cast doubt on Young's chances of bouncing back next season. The analyst didn't completely dismiss the possibility, but his lingering doubts left him questioning whether the Heisman Trophy winner out of Alabama had what it takes to get out of his slump.

"I just don't feel it with [Bryce] Young. And what do I mean by that? Well, firstly, I didn't see any flashes from Young as a rookie. You know, a few games-- maybe not even consecutively -- where he looked confident and poised and that combination led to quality results. The Panthers did make somewhat of a concerted effort to build around him, trading for underneath separator Diontae Johnson in March before moving up in the draft to select South Carolina's Xavier Legette. I still think Carolina's receiver group will struggle to collectively get open, but the offensive line should be sturdier with free-agent adds Robert Hunt at right guard and Damien Lewis at left guard. I don't have enough belief in Young's tools, nor the roster in Carolina, to predict Young making a leap in Year 2."

- Chris Trapasso, CBS Sports

Trapasso isn't alone in his thoughts. Several people have thrown skepticism on Young's long-term outlook thanks to his subpar efforts in difficult circumstances last season. Others have gone one step further, completely writing off the No. 1 overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft without taking into account the mitigating circumstances surrounding his failure.

Ignoring all the outside noise is critical for Young. There's only so much bulletin board material a player can accumulate before self-doubt sets in. Now it's time to focus on football once again, everything else pales into insignificance.

Canales holds the key. He's stripped things back and working on the things Young doesn't do well rather than fine-tuning the positives. Building confidence back up gradually is another important step of the offseason process. After that, everything should fall into place providing other offensive position groups also raise their performance levels accordingly.

There's no doubt Young's been an easy target during and after the 2023 season. C.J. Stroud's rapid emergence into a borderline-elite quarterback didn't exactly help, but the Panthers are not throwing in the towel on Young by any stretch of the imagination.

If they believe, you should too.