Canales Doesn't Feel Like Bryce Young is a 'Fix-It Project'

The goal is more about "getting the football right" than it is to repair the Panthers' second-year quarterback.

Author:
Schuyler Callihan
Feb 6, 2024 2:19 PM EST

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It may have been a disastrous season for the Carolina Panthers in 2023, but rookie quarterback Bryce Young showed more than what the stats on paper would suggest.

He proved that he can take a beating and recover from big hits on a weekly basis, having been sacked 62 times in 16 starts (3.8 times per game). That was one of the biggest concerns surrounding the former Heisman Trophy winner entering the NFL Draft due to his thin frame. He passed that test with flying colors along with the concerns of his confidence wavering during a difficult year, which it didn't.

Young was placed into a nearly impossible situation with little protection up front and help from his pass catchers. That's why new head coach Dave Canales doesn't view Young as some major project. For Canales, it's about getting the football right and implementing a system that allows Young to thrive.

Tuesday morning, the Panthers' head coach joined the Mac and Bone Show on WFNZ and talked about the face of the franchise.

"My approach with Bryce is it doesn't feel like a fix-it project at all. For me, what I see is an accurate passer. I see a guy who's got courage in the pocket. I see a guy who pops back up and just keeps rockin'. He's just built and wired that way. So for me, it's no different than any other quarterback. Like, what are the fundamental things? What are the most basic fundamentals that he can sink his teeth into to just take the next step into improvement. I want to make sure that he understands and I want to make sure that everybody understands the way the quarterback position is supposed to be played is you do your one-eleventh. You just do your job. And the talent, the innate ability, the first overall pick -- all that ability will fill up and we'll need those special plays three to five times a game. But we don't need it on every single snap. We just need him to be able to understand what we're trying to get done and just do his part in it. And I think that really is an approach that I've taken with a bunch of guys to alleviate that stress of having to carry something."