ESPN on why Bryce Young is the Carolina Panthers’ player under the most pressure

The latest NFL power rankings from ESPN are out, and this edition comes with a twist. Which member of each team is under the most pressure this season?

Aug 16, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) rushes against the Houston Texans in the first quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Dave Canales’s team won four of its final nine games after a 1-7 start this past season. A big reason for the strong second half was the play of a young signal-caller who was benched after the first two games by the aforementioned head coach.

ESPN released its updated NFL power rankings, and the Carolina Panthers are at the No. 27 spot. The main focus of the piece was having each writer giving their thoughts on which player, coach or executive on the team would be under the most pressure in 2025. Panthers’ writer David Newton made emerging quarterback Bryce Young his choice.

ESPN says Bryce Young is the Panthers’ player under the most pressure in 2025

“The top pick of the 2023 draft has to build off the final three games of last season and produce wins,” said Newton. “The Panthers selected elite receiver Tetairoa McMillan in the first round to help Young take the next step, and they didn’t lose a starting offensive lineman in the offseason.

“Young has to show the organization didn’t make a mistake when it made that memorable trade with Chicago for the No. 1 pick in 2023. Young is 6-22 (as a starter), and more of that won’t cut it.”

Newton’s focus is on the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner’s play in Carolina’s final three games, when he threw for 612 yards and seven scores, and rushed for 100 yards and three touchdowns. More significantly, Young did not turn over the football.

It’s certainly understandable why the Panthers’ starting quarterback was Newton’s choice, and his improved play actually spanned longer than three games. There is certainly some heat on Young, especially if Carolina’s new-look defensive unit doesn’t jell right away. There’s plenty of reason to be optimistic about Canales’s team, and much of it does revolve around his starting signal-caller.

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