2023 No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young hasn’t exactly blown the doors off upon walking into the NFL for his first pair of preseason starts. But he doesn’t have to for head coach Frank Reich and the Carolina Panthers.
Young, for the second exhibition outing of his pro career, hit on three of his six throws for 35 yards in Friday night’s 21-19 loss to the New York Giants. And while he didn’t light up the box score nor the scoreboard, the rookie quarterback still impressed Reich.
“I thought Bryce looked sharp,” he said after the game. “Put together a nice drive. Would’ve liked to have us finish it off. Obviously, unhappy with the number of penalties we had. I don’t know what the total number was . . . yeah, eight? Too many penalties. But I thought Bryce looked sharp.”
That drive, the second and final one of Young’s night, saw the Panthers eat up 62 yards and over 10 minutes of clock en route to a 37-yard field goal from kicker Matthew Wright. The touch included a sharp 15-yard connection with fellow rookie Jonathan Mingo, which Reich was also asked about.
“Yeah, it was a good read,” Reich said of Young’s quick dart to Mingo. “I think he was seeing it really well. They did blitz a few times, I think—we’ll see the film—we made the right protection call every time. I just felt like he was comfortable and poised in the pocket and seeing what he was supposed to see.”
With Reich having yet to disclose who will play in the preseason finale against Detroit next Friday, the summer could be over for Young. If it is, he finishes having completed seven of his 12 attempts for 56 yards with no touchdowns, no interceptions and a whole lot of poise.
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