Panthers news: Bryce Young, draft trades, power rankings and new homes
By Dean Jones
Bryce Young tipped to improve
It's no secret that the Carolina Panthers had to do more for quarterback Bryce Young this offseason. His rookie campaign was nothing short of disastrous through no fault of his own. The No. 1 pick was let down by the previous regime, who didn't surround him with enough talent and had no clue how to properly mold a scheme around his strengths.
That's not counting Frank Reich and his supposed all-star coaches failing to agree on how best to nurture Young's talent. Dan Morgan and Dave Canales are looking to change that, which has seen the Panthers invest heavily in offense through free agency and the 2024 NFL Draft.
Young is in a much better position to thrive next season. This was a sentiment echoed by Kate Magdziuk from Pro Football Focus, who named the Heisman Trophy winner out of Alabama as one of the big winners from the offseason so far. Something that's rectified the complications suffered during his first season in a professional environment.
"To put it kindly, 2023 No. 1 pick Bryce Young had a disastrous rookie campaign. His 52.7 passing grade ranked 39th among 41 qualifying quarterbacks, and he averaged a league-worst 5.5 yards per attempt. All things considered — those “things” being the long lists of assets the Panthers exchanged for the No. 1 overall pick just to set him up for failure in his rookie season — they’ve done a solid job through the offseason to prepare Young for a much improved Year 2."
The Panthers might regress on the defensive side of things, but Morgan feels like this was a gamble worth taking. Any further regression from Young could do irreparable damage to his long-term aspirations. This newfound ethos will also provide those in power with a broader perspective about what the signal-caller might be capable of in the coming years.