Insider reveals crucial weakness Panthers QB Bryce Young must address

The Panthers QB is far from perfect heading into year three.

Jul 26, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) throws during practice at training camp. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

Carolina Panthers QB Bryce Young showed what led the team to move up in the first round in 2023 to select him at the end of last season. It had been a while since Young looked good (college), but he finally began to resemble the Heisman winner the Panthers were so enamored with.

That doesn't mean he's perfect or that he's fixed his game. According to CBS Sports analyst Zachary Pereles, there is still one glaring issue that the third-year QB needs to shore up, though he did take major strides in 2024.

Bryce Young must fix big issue in 2025

Third-year quarterbacks are at a crucial point in their careers. CJ Stroud looked great as a rookie but really regressed in 2024. Bryce Young looked horrible and was benched, but then he looked like a genuine star at the end of the year. Anthony Richardson has mostly looked like a bust, but his athleticism keeps hope alive.

For Young, his accuracy must improve. For all the excellent things he did in 2024, he was still off-target a good amount. "Young had the seventh-highest off-target rate in the NFL," Pereles said. "Given how many throws are going to be really hard to make due to his physical limitations, plus his natural inclination to attack the intermediate part of the field and try some high-skill throws, he has to hit on the easy ones."

Fortunately, that did look very good at times in 2024, and with more consistency, another year in the system, and better weapons, that should also continue trending upward. All in all, the Panthers would live with the occasional inaccuracy if it came attached to the level of play he exhibited in 2024.

Plus, adding Tetairoa McMillan should offset that. A big-bodied receiver with a massive catch radius can catch some of those off-target throws that he missed last season.

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