Carolina Panthers playmaker cements unwavering faith in Bryce Young

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen cemented his faith in quarterback Bryce Young heading into their second season together.

There was a time when things looked incredibly promising for Bryce Young. The Carolina Panthers were seen as a tremendous landing spot for any college quarterback thanks to some decent-looking veteran additions and a supposed all-star coaching staff under Frank Reich. The former Alabama star was right up there with Bijan Robinson to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2023 for this exact reason.

Nobody predicted what came next.

Young struggled in a bland offensive scheme unfit for the modern-day game. His performances were subpar and lacked confidence. The coaches had no clue how to properly develop their prized possession. The signal-caller's supporting cast was woeful at best.

Adam Thielen thinks Bryce Young can take the Carolina Panthers forward

Adam Theilen was the sole positive, going over 1,000 receiving yards and developing encouraging chemistry with Young. It seems as if the veteran is going to stick around in 2024 despite rumors about a potential departure. Diontae Johnson was acquired via trade from the Pittsburgh Steelers and further reinforcements are coming from the draft, but the Minnesota State product's role remains integral to the quarterback's growth next time around.

Thielen proclaimed his unwavering confidence in Young's ability to take the Panthers where they want to go during an appearance on Good Morning Football. In particular, the three-time Pro Bowler marveled at the way he took accountability and fought through significant adversity during a rookie campaign that won't live long in the memory.

"I think everything was stacked against him last year, unfortunately. And I'm not gonna get into detail as to why that was, but I'm just really excited for him to have a fresh start, an ability to have a good coaching staff that's gonna put a good plan together to help him be successful, and also to put people around him to help him be successful. I think what he really showed is his maturity over the year. I think his ability at times to just be very honest in front of the room and say, 'Hey, this is what I'm not doing very well and this is what I need to get better at and please hold me accountable,' I thought was really impressive for a young guy. I don't know how much adversity Bryce has had over his football career, and to handle the amount of adversity he did, to show up every week, week in, week out, put his head down and work, try to lead to the best of his ability was really impressive, and what makes me excited about Year 2."

- Adam Thielen via NFL.com

Thielen's played with some bad quarterbacks and some good ones. He feels like the best is yet to come with Young. Otherwise, the wideout might have been more forceful about wanting to leave despite the introduction of new head coach Dave Canales.

It seems like the Panthers have done a much better job of giving Young everything needed to excel this time around. Lessons have been taken on board and investment has transitioned accordingly. New additions and established figures on offense must mesh together on the field and embrace Canales' concepts, but the pieces are slowly coming together around the Heisman Trophy winner.

Things have to go well for Young in 2024. We live in an instant gratification world and two straight seasons of poor production won't go down well. One only has to look at the criticism he's received since the recent campaign concluded to see how bad things might get with any further regression. That's a worst-case scenario not even worth contemplating at this stage.

Thielen believes in Young. The fanbase should too.