Carolina Panthers reveal perfect blueprint for Bryce Young's development

After a rookie campaign that won't live long in the memory, Bryce Young is about to embark on a critical offseason. The quarterback must eradicate some flaws from his game under Dave Canales and his progressive coaching staff. Those in power must also do everything in their power to place better options around the No. 1 overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft.

This is something Dan Morgan has prioritized throughout the recruitment period so far. The Panthers signed Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis to boost their offensive line interior. They also secured wide receiver Diontae Johnson via trade, who's temperamental but regarded as one of the slickest route-runners in the business.

With the promise of more reinforcements arriving from the 2024 NFL Draft, the onus is on Young to develop accordingly. This will give him a fighting chance of silencing those who've already written off his chances of meeting lofty expectations coming out of Alabama.

Carolina Panthers strip everything back for Bryce Young

How the coaching staff approaches this issue will also go a long way to determining whether Young can make the strides needed. Canales doesn't believe there's much to fix. He'll be molding the scheme around his quarterback's strengths and fine-tuning his traits rather than adopting something more drastic. This is a sentiment echoed by offensive coordinator Brad Idzik.

During his media availability, Idzik revealed the blueprint implemented to ensure Young attains greater heights next season and beyond. This centered on highlighting positives, how they can be incorporated into their new schematic concepts, and building from the ground up based on comments via the team's website.

"We really focused on the positives. We went back, we studied last season, but we saw what he did throw. And like mentioned, where do you want to take this team, X's and O's wise, is where do you want to take your quarterback? And what does he show immediately that he's willing to sit back there and rip?

"As we go and he shows us on the field here, this off-season, we'll continue to build on the fundamentals. Will Harriger, one of the most prepared quarterback's coaches you'll ever come across, has examples of everything and he's showing it to him on the daily. And then I can't wait to watch him get his hands dirty with him on the field, just honing in on all the fundamentals, the footwork, and then just being on time with the wide outs."

This is the perfect strategy. Asking Young to be something he's not is not going to do anybody good. There's a reason why most analysts believed he was the best quarterback emerging from the college ranks in 2023. Playing to his strengths is the only way this substantial investment is going to pay dividends.

Young needs to play his part, too. He's a quick learner, so he will respond well to this new collective pursuit for progress. The Heisman Trophy winner should be highly motivated to put things right after going through severe on-field turmoil last time around. For the first time in his NFL career, there is a legitimate plan in place - something the previous regime couldn't come up with and the signal-caller suffered as a result.

Everything was seemingly in place for Young last season. It didn't turn out that way, but the Panthers believe all hope is not lost if some fundamental complications become a thing of the past and the improved supporting cast rises to the occasion.

There should be no more excuses for Young. If everything finally clicks into place, his critics will be eating their words in no time.