Tag: Bryce Young

Panthers QB Bryce Young defends Andy Dalton with incredible comedic timing

Panthers QB Bryce Young gave Andy Dalton a well-timed shoutout from New Orleans on Friday.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young still hasn’t cracked at “Radio Row” this week.

After a few impressive interview performances with FanDuel’s Kay Adams and NBC Sports’ Dan Patrick down near the site of Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, Young joined Friday’s episode of The Facility.

And despite a bit of egging on from host and former wide receiver James Jones, the 23-year-old didn’t bite on a comment regarding teammate Andy Dalton. In fact, he played it cool—as he so often does . . .

Young, of course, was benched at the beginning of the 2024 campaign following a pair of nightmare outings. Dalton jumped in for the 2023 No. 1 overall pick in Week 3, and led the Panthers to their first win of the year in his first start—where he threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns.

But the 14th-year veteran didn’t do much after that. Dalton went on to pass for just 670 yards, four scores and six interceptions over the next four games—all of which ended in double-digit losses.

His season would be unexpectedly cut short before Week 8, when he injured his right thumb in a car accident. Young took over from there—amassing 2,104 passing yards, 20 total touchdowns and six picks while leading Carolina to a 4-6 mark.

Dalton, 37, will officially become a free agent in March.

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Panthers QB Bryce Young on jokes about his height: ‘I embrace it’

Panthers QB Bryce Young isn’t trying to duck any jokes about his height.

The internet’s constant stream of short jokes is big enough to reach Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young. It is not, however, big enough to bother him.

In one of his stops along this year’s “Radio Row” from New Orleans, the soon-to-be third-year passer chatted it up with NBC Sports’ Dan Patrick—who seemed more than eager to get into Young’s height. Patrick asked the 5-foot-10, 205-pounder about the variety of vertical wisecracks, including the “back-to-school” quips from the following video taken this past summer . . .

But Young, as he did when he entered the pros, had a feel-good answer.

“I don’t mind, at all,” he replied. “I’ve seen some, like, hilarious stuff about my height. Like, it’s fine. Again, I’m used to it. I embrace it.

“But I only know one way to play football. So I’ve never had to adjust, I’ve never had to, like, ‘Okay, dang, this is way different now.’ This is just how I know how to play the game.”

Funnily enough, Young finished the 2024 season with just one batted pass—the fewest, by far, from a quarterback with at least 200 attempts.

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Panthers QB Bryce Young is asked which WR he wants team to add

Panthers QB Bryce Young wasn’t going to fall into Kay Adams’ trap.

Even when he’s not on the field, Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young remains poised in the face of pressure.

Young, who has been making the rounds at Super Bowl LIX’s “Radio Row,” joined Thursday’s episode of Up & Adams. And with quite a few big-name wide receivers possibly on the move this offseason, host Kay Adams asked the soon-to-be third-year passer who he’d like to recruit to the Panthers.

But Young, as he always has in his chats with the media, avoided the trap.

“It’s not my call,” he replied with a smile. “I trust Dan [Morgan] and I trust the front office to make those calls. There’s a lot of people, for sure, that I have a lot of respect for . . . and I’ll talk to probably more privately.

“I trust in Dan, though. He’s gonna get it right one way or another.”

One specific name that has popped up for Carolina is Garrett Wilson, who could be at a crossroads with the New York Jets. The wheels started to turn on a potential union when Wilson endorsed Young in a tweet last month.

That, however, is all speculation.

So, like Young said—we may just have to trust in Dan, and not the rumor and innuendo, on this one.

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NFL legend ‘proud’ of Panthers QB Bryce Young for resurgent 2024 season

Hall of Famer Peyton Manning probably wasn’t surprised by Bryce Young’s bounce-back campaign in 2024.

There’s at least one NFL legend who can say that he probably wasn’t surprised by Bryce Young’s breakout campaign.

Pro Football Hall of Fame passer Peyton Manning talked a bit about the Carolina Panthers quarterback on Saturday, during the Pro Bowl practice session at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla. And Manning, who threw his support behind Young at last year’s all-star festivities, credited the relationship between the fellow No. 1 overall pick and his head coach, Dave Canales.

“I think the fact that Bryce has finally gotten to a system that’s with Dave, and there’s some continuity to it, you saw him playing well,” Manning said, via Kassidy Hill of Panthers.com.

“It frustrates me, as a quarterback that played in the same system for his first 14 years in Indianapolis, how much better that is for the quarterback. But when you tell a young quarterback, ‘I want you to learn German in your first year, Latin the next, and French in your third,’ that’s not easy.”

Young, in what was an underwhelming rookie season, worked under two different play-callers—head coach Frank Reich and offensive coordinator Thomas Brown. Reich, however, was fired after just 11 games while Brown was not retained after the 2023 season.

Carolina then hired Canales, who previously helped kickstart the resurgences of veterans Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield. He’d seemingly do the same for Young—as the 23-year-old completed 61.8 percent of his passes for 2,104 yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions while leading the Panthers to a 4-6 in the return from his early-season benching.

Manning continued.

“So, I’m proud of Bryce for hanging in there,” he stated. “Like I said, my message to all organizations that are drafting young quarterbacks is to create some continuity around them. Hopefully, that includes having the same system for several years.”

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Panthers HC Dave Canales: Bryce Young found the joy of playing again

While down at the Senior Bowl, Panthers HC Dave Canales reflected on QB Bryce Young’s incredible bounce-back from his early-season benching.

Perhaps the recipe behind Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young’s second-season success included a sprinkle of joy.

While down in Mobile, Ala. for this year’s Senior Bowl, head coach Dave Canales took some time out to chat with SiriusXM NFL Radio. Canales was asked about Young’s response to his benching after Week 2, a move that was eventually answered with a very encouraging bounce-back run.

“Handling it the way that he did—with maturity, attacking it and really positioning himself for that next opportunity,” he replied. “And not knowing when that next opportunity was going to come, stepping back in and doing the work. Taking the challenge and really finding the joy of playing again.

“And I could sense that when we went out to Denver. And we didn’t get the result we wanted, we didn’t win that game. But he threw some balls with confidence, he was having fun, connecting with his teammates, working the sideline, all that.

“I could see the shift in him, and then he just took steps every week. And then just diving into the installs, diving into the game plan, improving the previous game and really applying things. And so, it was really cool to be a part of.”

Young was benched following a disastrous two-game start to the 2024 campaign. He completed 55.4 percent of his passes for 245 yards, zero touchdowns and three interceptions over a pair of blowout losses to the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Chargers.

He’d get his second chance in that Week 8 visit to Denver, when 14th-year veteran Andy Dalton was sat with a sprained right thumb. From then on, he passed for a 61.8-percent completion rate, 2,104 yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions while leading the Panthers to a pretty respectable 4-6 record.

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Should Panthers QB Bryce Young be a finalist for 2024’s Comeback Player of the Year award?

Did Panthers QB Bryce Young get snubbed from consideration for this season’s Comeback Player of the Year award? We make his case, even if the guidelines say differently.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young provided us with one of the very best stories of the 2024 campaign. But was it, by rule, a comeback story?

The finalists for the Associated Press’ Comeback Player of the Year award were officially announced on Thursday morning. This season’s group includes five notable nominees—Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold, Los Angeles Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins, New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez and Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin.

What—or who—that group didn’t include, however, was Young.

Why?

Didn’t he make a successful comeback of his own?

Um, yeah—he most certainly did.

After a relatively disappointing rookie year, the 2023 No. 1 overall pick entered 2024 with a bit of buzz and a whole lot of optimism. The Panthers paired him with a “quarterback whisperer” in first-year head coach Dave Canales, hooked him up with two new starting guards and three offensive weapons through the draft and apparently saw the much-anticipated growth begin throughout the spring and summer.

That progress, unfortunately, wouldn’t show up to start the regular season. In fact, Young regressed.

Young turned in the worst two games of his short NFL career in Weeks 1 and 2—passing for just 245 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions while leading Carolina to all of 13 points and two third-down conversions. Those alarming performances, needless to say, came in a pair of humiliating blowout losses.

His disturbingly poor play to kick off the campaign then led to one of the most shocking moves in the recent history of the franchise—his benching. Young, after those two offerings, was sat in favor of 14th-year veteran Andy Dalton—who proceeded to guide the Panthers to a 36-22 win in his very first start of the season.

As the weeks piled up, rumblings of an early divorce between Young and the Panthers stewed. And considering the organization parted with a king’s ransom to select him atop the draft a year earlier, a swift parting of ways may have solidified that gamble as the worst (and most embarrassing) trade in NFL history.

But that’s not how this story ended.

Thanks to an unforeseen setback to Dalton, who sprained his right thumb in a car accident after Week 7, Young was reinserted into the starting lineup for Week 8. From then on, he wouldn’t look back.

The 23-year-old not only (and finally) realized some growth, but he took a step forward seemingly every single time out.

Young pieced together an impressive 10-game run—completing 61.8 percent of his passing attempts for 2,104 yards and amassing 20 total touchdowns and just six interceptions while pushing the Panthers to a pretty respectable 4-6 mark. That stretch, additionally, included near-upsets (in back-to-back-to-back weeks) of the Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs—two of which are currently on the doorstep of Super Bowl LIX.

By year’s end, Young went from taking outside hits as one of the biggest “busts” of all-time to receiving praise from a who’s who of Carolina’s inner circle—including from his head coach, the team owner and the greatest quarterback in Panthers history.

(Heck, he even earned himself one of the hardest nicknames in the game during the process.)

So, yeah, wouldn’t that qualify as a comeback?

Well, not according to the overseers of the Comeback Player of the Year award.

After some confusion regarding the win of then-Indianapolis Colts quarterback Joe Flacco last year, AP senior NFL writer Rob Maaddi provided the following explanation of the honor’s guidelines:

The spirit of the AP Comeback Player of the Year award is to honor a player who has demonstrated resilience in the face of adversity by overcoming illness, physical injury or other circumstances that led him to miss playing time the previous season. The decision to provide this guidance was made last December but could not be implemented for the 2023 awards because the season was almost completed.

In short, the player must be returning from a setback and absence in the previous season. Young started in all but one game in 2023.

So, by that very definition, he does not qualify for the award.

Now, we could nitpick at the qualifications for some of the 2024 finalists—including our old friend Sam.

Darnold missed games last year, but only because he wasn’t good enough to start over Brock Purdy in San Francisco.

He was healthy. He was the backup. There was no setback.

He did not overcome an “illness,” a “physical injury” or any another adverse circumstance.

If Darnold can come back from (for a lack of a better term) “sucking,” then why can’t Young—who astonishingly zoomed through the comeback cycle within a single season?

Who knows? Maybe we’ll get another confusing explanation about the guidelines if Darnold wins.

But what we do know is that this award won’t define Young’s refreshed future in Carolina. While it would have been a nice little piece of recognition for his remarkable bounce-back, a nomination doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme.

If Young’s 2024 season has taught us anything, it’s that we should be looking forward, and not back. His resurgence is just one story in one chapter of what may be one hell of a book.

And hey, for those who are still hung up about it—there’s always next year.

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Panthers’ biggest needs heading into the 2025 offseason

The Panthers have quite a few needs for 2025, and most of them reside on the defensive side of the ball.

Despite missing the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season, the Carolina Panthers took a refreshing step forward in 2024.

They went from two wins in 2023 to five wins this year, they won’t be going forward with a different head coach and, perhaps most importantly, they may very well have their franchise quarterback in Bryce Young.

But this seedling is going to require some more water before it really starts budding next fall.

So for the Panthers to keep growing, they’ll have to address these needs during the offseason . . .

What are the Panthers’ biggest needs for 2025?

1. EDGE

All things considered, outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney had himself a pretty decent campaign. But when your best pass rusher is an 11th-year veteran who recorded 5.5 sacks, you probably need some more firepower.

Carolina is fresh off allowing the most points ever in a single season (534), and their punchless pass rush certainly played a part in that dubious honor. The Panthers notched just 32 sacks, tied for the third-fewest in 2024.

Other than rostering Clowney off the edge, the unit does have D.J. Wonnum—who gave a fine account of himself in his shortened season. But this defense needs a certifiable sack artist, one who can free up Clowney more often and push Wonnum into a more suitable role as a rotational presence.

2. DL

If Carolina suffered mightily from their lack of pressure, then their run defense might tell the pass rush to hold its beer.

The Panthers relinquished a ridiculous 179.8 rushing yards per game, by far the most in the NFL. To put that number into perspective—the next closest team, the New Orleans Saints, allowed 141.4 rushing yards a contest.

This unit will certainly get a boost from the return of Pro Bowler Derrick Brown, who went down for the season after tearing his meniscus in Week 1. He will, however, need some upgrades beside and behind him.

3. DB

Xavier Woods, Jordan Fuller and Nick Scott combined to account for 83.1 percent of Carolina’s snaps amongst safeties. All three are slated to become free agents this offseason.

Cornerback Mike Jackson, maybe the most pleasant surprise of the year, is also looking for a new contract. If he walks, the Panthers would definitely need a new No. 2 to pair with Pro Bowler Jaycee Horn.

But even if they were to retain at least some of those guys, the Panthers need more playmakers in their secondary. Their nine interceptions were tied for the fifth-fewest in the league.

4. ILB

All three of Carolina’s top inside linebackers—Shaq Thompson, Josey Jewell and Trevin Wallace—had their seasons abbreviated by injuries. By the time Weeks 17 and 18 rolled around, the Panthers were forced to entrust the middle of their defense to special teamers and practice-squad members.

The outlook is still cloudy entering 2025. Thompson will be a free agent coming off an Achilles tear, Jewell wasn’t always a reliable tackler and Wallace is still learning the position.

5. WR

It wouldn’t be a Carolina Panthers offseason if we didn’t bring up the need for a wideout.

While Young took a very encouraging step in his development over the season’s last 11 weeks, he shouldn’t taking his next one with a 35-year-old Adam Thielen as his best target. And although Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker flashed at times as rookies, neither are likely to grow right into the No. 1 receiver Young should have for 2025.

6. TE

There’s a similar conundrum at the tight end position.

2024 fourth-round pick Ja’Tavion Sanders looked quite solid . . . in spurts. He, like Legette and Coker, is not a surefire solution at the moment.

Plus, Tommy Tremble and Ian Thomas are headed to free agency.

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Did ‘The Carolina Reaper’ (a.k.a. Panthers QB Bryce Young) just claim another victim?

“The Carolina Reaper” appears to have done it again.

Has “The Carolina Reaper” done it again?

This past Sunday, Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young slayed the Atlanta Falcons to close out the regular season—throwing for 251 yards and three touchdowns in a 44-38 win. He also rushed for a pair of scores, becoming the very first quarterback in Panthers history to record three touchdown passes and two touchdown runs in a single game.

Now, almost one week later, those Falcons have announced that they have parted ways with defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake as well as defensive line coach Jay Rodgers. So, yeah, you know what that means . . .

Lake and Rodgers are the latest victims to meet an undesirable fate directly following a loss to Young and his Panthers. They join the following:

  • (Former) New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen: Fired after Week 9 loss to the Panthers
  • (Former) New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones: Benched by Giants after Week 10 loss to Panthers
  • Arizona Cardinals: Eliminated from playoff contention after Week 16 loss to Panthers

The Falcons finished a disappointing 2024 campaign having allowed 345.2 total yards per game, the 10th-most in the league. They also registered the second-fewest sacks (31).

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Luke Kuechly on Panthers after 2024 season: ‘Vibes are high’

Franchise great (and maybe soon-to-be Hall of Famer) Luke Kuechly is feeling pretty good about the current state of the Panthers.

Luke Kuechly seems to be vibing with the current state of the Carolina Panthers.

The franchise great hopped on Thursday’s edition of Up & Adams and discussed the direction of his old team. Kuechly told host Kay Adams that there’s plenty for the organization to be hopeful for as we head out of the 2024 season . . .

Kuechly’s biggest takeaway, of course, is the emergence of second-year quarterback Bryce Young.

After a disappointing rookie campaign and a disastrous two-game start to this one, the former No. 1 overall pick was benched for veteran Andy Dalton at the beginning of Week 3. He’d return to the starting lineup in Week 8 and proceeded to play like the University of Alabama star the Panthers drafted in 2023—finishing out the season completing 197 of his 319 passing attempts (61.8 percent) for 2,104 yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions while leading the Panthers to a respectable 4-6 record.

The cherry on top for Young was his history-making performance in the victorious regular-season finale against the Atlanta Falcons. Young, in the 44-38 win, became the first Panthers quarterback to ever record three passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns in a game.

Hopefully for Young and the Panthers, Kuechly will have some more history to talk about in 2025.

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Cowboys’ Micah Parsons makes very bold prediction about Panthers, Bryce Young for 2025

Cowboys star Micah Parsons made a pretty wild prediction about Bryce Young and the 2025 Panthers.

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons has been up close and personal with the Carolina Panthers and quarterback Bryce Young in each of the last two years. And apparently, he’s seeing something not many currently are.

The two-time first-team All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler talked about Young and the Panthers on the latest episode of his podcast, The Edge with Micah Parsons. Parsons discussed Young’s five-touchdown heater in Carolina’s 44-38 win over the Atlanta Falcons in the final game of their 2024 season, then proceeded to make a pretty bold prediction about their 2025 season . . .

As Parsons alludes to, Panthers head coach Dave Canales made the decision to bench Young following a disastrous two-game start to the campaign. The former No. 1 overall pick would then return to the starting lineup in Week 8, and he never looked back.

In his 10 games back under center, Young completed 197 of his 319 passing attempts (61.8 percent) for 2,104 yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also led the Panthers to a respectable 4-6 mark, doubling the team’s 2023 win total over that span.

One of those six losses came against Parsons’ Cowboys, back in Week 15. In fact, that 30-14 defeat gave us the worst showing from Young since his return.

But if Parsons can still see the good in the Panthers and Young, even through a four-turnover performance, then that’s saying something.

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