2 Offensive Panthers Players Will Make or Break Bryce Young's Rise to Greatness

If Bryce Young is going to make the leap, it will come down to two new players on offense.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) drops back to pass against the Los Angeles Rams | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Carolina Panthers need Bryce Young to put together a full, good season. To date, he hasn't quite done that, although 2025 was a very good step in the right direction. Here's how he can really put it all together, though.

How Bryce Young can evolve from good to great

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) looks for his receiver during the first day | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Athlon Sports' Doug Farrar wrote an excellent piece breaking down how strong Bryce Young finished and how he can build on that to go from good in 2025 to great in 2026.

Young tends to finish well, both in games and in the overall season. We all recall the benching in the first half of 2024 that led to electric play in the second half, but if you split the 2025 season into two halves, Young was significantly better in the second.

Weeks 1-9:

• 61.1% completion on 244 attempts
• 1,390 yards
• 5.70 yards per attempt
• 4.5% TD rate
• 2.5% INT rate

Weeks 10-18:

• 66.2% completion on 234 attempts
• 1,621 yards
• 6.93 yards
• 5.1% TD rate
• 2.1% INT rate

If you extrapolate the second half (which included the bye, so the numbers are better with fewer games) over a full season, that's a stat line of 3,445 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.

So, how does Young make that the new norm? How does he avoid starting slow in the first half of the season? Coaching will help, as Dave Canales teams have notoriously started pretty slow, but for Young, it's going to come down to two new inclusions on offense.

The first is Monroe Freeling. Assuming he gets on the field, which is not a safe assumption since he's currently trailing in the left tackle battle with Rasheed Walker, the Panthers will have an elite protector for Young.

Georgia LT Monroe Freeling on the move.

Yeah, I'll deal with the technical fixes. Gimme this guy. pic.twitter.com/V2qteynY0t

— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) March 25, 2026

Farrar showed off some of Freeling's tape, which is just absurd. There are some technical issues, but he has all the makings of a dominant blocker. That will help Young because his pass protection, especially at left tackle, has been shaky at times.

The other player is Chris Brazzell. Some analysts are not convinced by him since virtually no Tennessee wide receivers have panned out in the NFL, but Farrar believes Brazzell is different.

Tennessee's offense can be a weird NFL transition because it's SO spread out. But I'm not worried about WR Chris Brazzell II, because he has more than enough big plays where he didn't need the extra space. He would have done this stuff anywhere. pic.twitter.com/huP7nsWUoJ

— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) March 14, 2026

"Pairing Brazzell with McMillan could give Young the kinds of vertical options he hasn’t had since his Alabama days," Farrar wrote. "Factor in the potential that veteran Xavier Legette brings, and the Panthers’ receiver group could be suddenly formidable sooner than later."

Giving Young a legitimate deep option to go with his deep ball, which is one of the best in the NFL, was brilliant. Getting someone who could actually lock down Young's blindside, assuming Freeling gets on the field, should also work out well.

And if those two things happen (really, even if the Panthers start Walker, the protection will be solid), then Young should be able to take the leap and put together a full season of good play rather than just a second half.