Carolina Panthers' offseason ethos raises the stakes for Bryce Young

The Carolina Panthers had one key objective in mind heading into the offseason. Dan Morgan and Dave Canales were in unison regarding this approach, which was to provide a platform for Bryce Young to make a better go of things in 2024 and beyond.

This was almost a necessity after Young endured some rough waters in Year 1 of his professional career. Severe inconsistencies crept into his game. There was footwork hesitancy behind Carolina's woeful offensive line and the signal-caller's deep ball accuracy became another source of frustration.

It wasn't all on Young by any stretch. The protection was terrible, nobody aside from Adam Thielen could create consistent separation, and the coaching staff couldn't come up with a cohesive approach toward his development. The former Alabama star didn't shine, but there were mitigating circumstances attached to his failure.

Carolina Panthers should expect more from Bryce Young in 2024

Morgan has moved heaven and earth to surround Young with everything needed to thrive next season and into the future. The Panthers invested heavily on offense in free agency. The same trend continued during the 2024 NFL Draft. What this means for the defensive output remains to be seen, but those in power had to see what they genuinely have in the Heisman Trophy winner with a renowned quarterback developer - head coach Dave Canales - steering him on the right path.

This was a sentiment echoed by Florian Hallach from Sportskeeda, who named the signal-caller as one of the big winners during the 2024 NFL Draft. The writer even claimed perhaps no player around the league has benefitted more from their team's offseason additions than Young - something that could see rapid improvements arrive if everything comes together this summer.

"I’d argue nobody has had a better offseason than Bryce Young. Heading into Thursday night, the Panthers weren’t even slated to pick due to trading up for Young a year ago, but they moved up one spot – which once again can be questioned in terms of their process behind it – to get South Carolina’s Xavier Legette with the final selection of round one. [Dave] Canales will bring more creativity compared to the elementary passing concepts they relied upon during Bryce’s rookie campaign, they now have guys that can stretch the field horizontally as well as vertically, and their QB can actually stand in the pocket and see over the line instead of having the integrity of the pocket disrupted constantly."

Young has heftier expectations on his shoulders, there's no getting away from that. The Panthers gave him the biggest vote of confidence imaginable this offseason and remain highly confident he can become a franchise-caliber presence under center. With the infrastructure around the player much improved, it's time to deliver.

Anything less will come with significant ramifications attached. Young's taken some heavy criticism from some in the national media. Some have even gone as far as to write him off entirely. That's extremely premature, so the extra motivation to silence his increasing doubters couldn't be more obvious.

The Panthers couldn't have done much more for Young since Morgan took charge. Their investment shift and Canales molding a scheme to suit his strengths make it difficult to envisage a scenario where substantial progress doesn't arrive. Whether that'll be enough to put more wins in the column is the big question.

Flashes won't be enough with this supporting cast. Young has to be more consistent, lead from the front, and come through in the clutch. Even if the Panthers don't attain a winning record or reach the postseason, this will inspire confidence about the team's long-term aspirations.

If Young falls flat on his face, it won't take long for the fingers of blame to point squarely in his direction.