Panthers Head Coach Speaks on Progression of Former Alabama QB Bryce Young

INDIANAPOLIS — Despite having one of the worst records in the NFL, former Alabama quarterback Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers have every reason to be excited about the future.

It was a season full of bumps in the road for Young, who went from starting to sitting on the bench, then back to the starting lineup in a short span. His second starting stint is what started to give people some hope and open some eyes.

Week by week, it was clear Young was starting to improve at a steady rate. That was a welcome sign for Carolina and its coaching staff, who'd invested a lot into Young and were still waiting for that potential to shine.

“Each week, there was improvement,” Carolina head coach Dave Canales said during media availability at the NFL Combine. “You can imagine if you could just get a one week better for a long time, how good you could become.”

It was evident by the end of the season that Young had progressed in the intellectual areas required by a quarterback. That, along with his continuous improvements in practice and live action, was the recipe for his growth.

“He can just stand in there and play good football and just watching the weekly progression of it, that's kind of just talked about a little bit there,” Canales said.

Young also gained the respect and love of his teammates and coaching staff in the locker room. There was a clear shift in his attitude and facial expressions at the end of the season compared to around the time in which he was benched.

He also became more vocal on the sidelines and in the huddle. That was another key reason for Young's progression and eventual end of season success that brough both him and the Panthers immense joy.

“I got a lot of excitement, a lot of appreciation for the way that Bryce just took a leadership role in this too, and really made statements to his teammates in that locker room,” Canales said.

There are no doubts now that Young has the respect of his locker room and team. There is certainly more respect for him on a league-wide scale and there is a feeling in Carolina that the Panthers, despite coming off a 5-12 record, might have one of the best youthful quarterbacks in the NFL.

“I’m sure all of you around the team the guys started to feel that like this guy's real, you know, and so I'm excited to go into this offseason knowing we have this quarterback," Canales said.

Throughout the league, quarterbacks young and old are given the short end of the stick after a stretch of play. After Young was benched in Week 3, it looked like that was the case for him too. It wasn't and Canales ended up trusting him because of the behind-the-scenes progression from him.

“Just take it week-to-week,” Canales said. “It's just a daily process of improvement and that goes for any position, particularly the quarterback position.”

For the Crimson Tide, Young racked up 3,328 career passing yards and 32 touchdowns, with 12 interceptions to go along with it. He earned starting snaps for two seasons from 2021-2023 and made one College Football Playoff Championship appearance in the 2021-2022 season, but the Crimson Tide fell to the Georgia Bulldogs 33-18.

After a season and some change of ridicule and criticism, there is a positive light and perception of Bryce Young. Things will only get better for the former Alabama quarterback as the Panthers continue to add pieces around him, both in the NFL draft and free agency.