Bryce Young an obvious choice for this award for the Carolina Panthers

Pro Football Focus names second-year quarterback Bryce Young the most improved player on the team.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JANUARY 05: Bryce Young #9 of the Carolina Panthers celebrates with teammate Mike Boone #34 after scoring a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons during the second quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 05, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JANUARY 05: Bryce Young #9 of the Carolina Panthers celebrates with teammate Mike Boone #34 after scoring a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons during the second quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 05, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. / (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
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Perhaps no other team in the NFL went on more of a roller coaster ride throughout the 2024 season than the Carolina Panthers. When it began they were so bad it looked like not only were they the worst team in the league right now, they looked like there was a distinct possibility they could finish the season with an 0-17 record, which would have put them in the running for worst team all time.

Thanks to a bold decision by head coach Dave Canales to bench Bryce Young and a resurgence from the second-year quarterback in the second half of the season, the Panthers finished the year on a strong note, and now look poised to compete for a playoff spot in 2025.

Young's development since returning to the lineup is one of the most remarkable glow-up stories in modern NFL history. As is appropriate, he has been named the most improved player on the Carolina Panthers for the year by Pro Football Focus.

PFF on Bryce Young most improved

"From Week 8 until the end of the season, Young completed 61.8% of his passes for 2,108 yards and 15 touchdowns, earning an 83.7 passing grade, seventh-highest among quarterbacks. Most impressively, Young led all quarterbacks with 26 big-time throws after recording just one in the first seven weeks of the season. Overall, Young finished with the seventh-most big-time throws. It looks like the Panthers finally have their guy."

That they do. To be sure, Young still has room to grow his game - from the high number of wobbly spirals he throws to the occainal flat out bad misses - but when the regular season ended he was performing at a top-10 level.

If Young can pick up where he left off and the front office can find him another legitimate WR1 to pair with Adam Thielen, he might earn a Pro Bowl nod and the Carolina Panthers may be on their way to the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

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