Panthers news: Bryce Young, Frankie Luvu, Dave Canales and Ben McAdoo
By Dean Jones
C.J. Stroud leaps to Bryce Young's defense
Bryce Young remains a hot topic of discussion weeks after the Carolina Panthers finished their 2023 regular-season engagements. Things didn't go well for the quarterback in Year 1 of his professional career. He didn't play well and his self-confidence waned. The franchise also failed to set him up for success.
Some fans have written Young off without the proper context attached, Others are pointing to the flashes displayed throughout the season as reasons for optimism. Both sides of the argument concede that the Panthers must do a better job of putting the former Alabama star in positions to thrive.
C.J. Stroud leaped to the defense of Young during his recent appearance on The Pivot. While the No. 2 pick enjoyed a phenomenal rookie campaign, he was quick to point out that their situations were far different based on comments via USA Today Sports.
"In his shoes, I feel like a lot of stuff didn’t go his way, that was out of his control. You can’t make a play if somebody don’t block. You can’t make a play if somebody don’t catch a ball. And when you watch the tape, Bryce did a lot great things. He’s gonna be a great player. But it takes time. I think I came into a situation where we were strugglin’, but we still had a lot of good pieces. And Nick Caserio, our GM, brought in a lot of good vets. DeMeco [Ryans] was the perfect coach for our type of team. Like I said earlier, everybody’s path is different. Maybe I had a good rookie year, and Bryce is gonna have a great second year. And hopefully I do, too. But I know everything’s gonna be fine for him. And I told him, like, ‘You the one, bruh. You the one for a reason.'"
- C.J. Stroud via USA Today Sports
The critics of Young will likely take a blinkered view of these statements. Stroud is not the first genuine football savant to see this situation in the correct light. Something that piles further pressure on Dan Morgan and Dave Canales to do more for Carolina's new prized possession.
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