With his sophomore season expectations sky high, Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young is already impressing his new head coach Dave Canales. The new Panthers head coach spoke highly of his starting quarterback to and his ability to be a vocal leader on the team.
“One thing that I’ve been pleasantly surprised with Bryce…is he’s timely in the words that he shares,” Canales said. “He just knows when to bring the guys together. He goes around after drills and he talks to specific guys and they’re working through stuff. And then when he feels like he’s got to talk to the group, it’s not all the time, but it feels timely and generally his message is on point.”
As the Panthers prepare for their first preseason game against the New England Patriots, Carolina's new-look offense will look for Young to step up after a middling rookie campaign. The 2021 Heisman Trophy winner won just two games for the Panthers in 2023 as he struggled down the stretch.
Along with being sacked 62 times, Young completed just 59.8 percent of his passes for 2,877 yards, 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. And although Young had some flashes on the field, his quiet demeanor had folks questioning whether the Panthers should have drafted Texans sensation CJ Stroud with the first overall pick instead.
Canales said that while Young is still going through the motions of being a more vocal leader in the offense, he is still confident in his signal-caller's ability to rally the troops.
“I think at this point he’s still refining his message and how he says things, but he said the right thing,” Canales said. “This is a great moment, he felt the moment, he addressed it, and then there was progress afterwards. The defense absolutely got after us…he was very stern about what he said. He was like ‘guys, we got to refocus here and we got to get our stuff right,' and it was just great to feel that energy and to see the guys respond to him.”
Bryce Young leads Panthers offense loaded with young stars, including Xavier Legette
This season will be a year of change for last year's first overall pick. Along with a new head coach and new offensive system, Young will also have plenty of new faces on the offensive side of the ball.
The Panthers preseason offense will be defined by the blending of veterans and young stars. The veterans include sure-handed wide receiver Adam Thielen, former Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Diontae Johnson and former Philadelphia Eagles running back Miles Sanders.
The younger targets include first-round pick WR Xavier Legette, second-round RB Jonathon Brooks and fourth-round TE Ja'Tavion Sanders. Legette, who is primed for a breakout rookie season, suffered a lower leg injury in practice this week and could potentially miss the Panthers' entire preseason. Legette was taken off the field on Sunday, just months after missing offseason team activities due to a hamstring injury.
Young and the Panthers will showcase his newfound leadership skills against the Patriots for their first preseason game on Thursday night at 7:00 PM EST on NFL Network.
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