Biggest Question for Panthers QB Bryce Young Has a Clear and Obvious Answer

The Carolina Panthers need a big year from QB Bryce Young. Not only is he playing for a massive contract extension, but he's also playing to prove himself and cement the Panthers as the NFC South's top dog.

ESPN's Dan Graziano posed the valid question that has circled the QB this offseason: Can he level up again? We love the use of the word "again" here because it correctly implies that Young has already leveled up.

Because of that, we know the answer to Graziano's question, which in turn carries another question in and of itself.

Bryce Young can absolutely level up again, but will he?

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) walks off the field after losing | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Last year, the Panthers made real growth with Bryce Young and Dave Canales. For the first time, they played meaningful football and did pretty well in it, all things considered. They made the playoffs, and it doesn't really matter that they did it with eight wins.

"Young, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft, set career highs in completion percentage, passing yards and passing touchdowns. He looked like a player who has made real advancement in his second season under Dave Canales," Dan Graziano said in discussing his big question for Young.

He went on to say that the Panthers are looking at an extension, but this season is going to be the difference-maker there. If he can improve again, Graziano predicts a substantial extension in 2027.

The question remains, can he? We believe he absolutely can. He has shown that ability already. He improved after a dreadful rookie year after he returned to the lineup in 2024. Then, while he was up and down in some ways, the product for him and the team was better in 2025.

Growth isn't totally linear, but Young has essentially made two small leaps throughout his brief NFL career. To suggest that he can't do it again would be foolish, as it was foolish to write him off in 2023 or after he was benched in 2024.

The question should be whether or not he will improve. He obviously can, and we've seen enough high-level play to suggest that a really good QB might be buried inside there somewhere. Can the Panthers coax it out on a week-to-week basis?

It's hard to predict. Very few quarterbacks have substantially improved in year four after struggling in previous seasons. Very few quarterbacks have had the career trajectory that Young has had thus far.

Getting a lot of offensive support usually helps that cause, and the Panthers, in our estimation, fell short of providing Young with the kind of support that would beget a major increase in production for the QB this season.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) reacts to a touchdown in the fourth quarter | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

However, he does, on paper, have a better offensive line in front of him, which is crucial. His offensive weapons should be slightly (and we do mean slightly in the most literal sense) better with Jonathon Brooks and Chris Brazzell and perhaps even John Metchie.

His defense, which will afford him more opportunities with the ball, is markedly improved, and while that's the other side of the ball, it should help some. All in all, the team around Young is better. Is it good enough? That's the real question.

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