Bryce Young gets vote of confidence from NFL insider

Thanks for a strong finish in 2024, there is optimism surrounding the Carolina Panthers this upcoming season. The team’s quarterback is a major reason why.

Jun 11, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) high fives with Carolina Panthers tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders (0) during minicamp at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Carolina Panthers won four of the final nine games in 2024. Yes, that’s still a sub-.500 mark, but consider where the team has come since the start of the 2023 season? A horrid 2-15 showing under head coaches Frank Reich (1-10) and interim Chris Tabor (1-5) was followed by a 1-7 start under current sideline leader Dave Canales this past season. Do the math and that’s a miserable 3-22 combined record.

One of the reasons some are high on Canales’s squad is rejuvenated quarterback Bryce Young. His debut season in ’23 was followed by a forgettable first two outings in 2024. The latter was enough for Canales to send the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft to the bench. He got his job back when veteran Andy Dalton was knocked out due to a thumb injury, and Young made the most of the opportunity.

Jan 5, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) celebrates after a victory over the Atlanta Falcons in overtime at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Earlier this week, Nick Wojton of USA TODAY assembled a list via the site’s team editors of each club’s “potential breakout player” in 2025. For the Panthers, it was their young signal-caller. “Tabbing a recent No. 1 overall pick as a “breakout player” may seem a little cheap,” said Anthony Rizzuti, “but Young still has yet to firmly establish himself as a franchise quarterback in Carolina. He took one step closer in what was a very impressive 10-game stretch to end last season…”

In those aforementioned final 10 contests, Young completed 61.8 percent of his throws for 2,104 yards and 15 scores, plus rushed for 223 yards and five touchdowns. There was a total of eight turnovers in those 10 games, but zero in his final three outings.

“The soon-to-be 24-year-old can keep rising with the help of a relatively deep wideout room,” explained Rizzuti, “headlined by eighth overall pick Tetairoa McMillan, a rock-solid offensive line and a second year of acclimation into head coach Dave Canales’ offense. Young could be close to erasing the memories of his underwhelming rookie campaign and his early benching in 2024.”

Add in wide receivers Adam Thielen, Xavier Legette and newcomer Hunter Renfrow, along with a running back room led by Chuba Hubbard and offseason additions Rico Dowdle and Trevor Etienne, and Young has a lot of support to take his game to another level in 2025.

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