Carolina Panthers rookie Bryce Young isn't sweating the ankle injury that forced him to miss his team's Week 3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Young, who returned to practice on Wednesday and is expected to play on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings- per head coach Frank Reich- was asked if there are any concerns that the injury will limit him in his return to action. Young's response was an encouraging one, per David Newton of ESPN.
“Not really. I feel great.”
Young said he “feels great” heading into the Week 4 matchup against the Vikings. Young, the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, suffered the injury during a Week 2 Monday Night Football loss to the New Orleans Saints, a game he was able to finish despite the ailment.
Young's Week 2 absence led to veteran backup Andy Dalton drawing the start. The former Cincinnati Bengals signal-caller performed admirably in the loss, completing 58.6 percent of his passes for 361 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Young, who has just two touchdown passes and has yet to eclipse the 200-yard passing mark in two starts, has started slowly out of the gate, but the 0-3 Vikings, whose defense ranks 25th against the pass, present an opportunity for Young to right the ship.
The Alabama product certainly seems to be trending towards an improved performance, as Panthers offensive coordinator Thomas Brown said that the rookie had his “best practice of the year.”
Panthers fans will not only hope Young is healthy, but that he is productive enough to get the team in the win column for the first time this year.