NFL insider preaches caution on Bryce Young despite late-2024 surge

The Bryce Young bandwagon may want to hit the brakes.

Jan 5, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) runs for a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons in the second quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

For 10 games last year, Bryce Young looked like a legitimate, viable NFL quarterback. Following a stint on the bench, the Carolina Panthers QB was a new man, and he looked like more than just viable in a few of those 10 games. The general consensus is that he's finally arrived.

The Panthers believe he has. Plenty of NFL analysts, pundits, and insiders do, too. Most fans are convinced. Not everyone is, though, and Yahoo! Sports insider Frank Schwab believes everyone should be very careful about buying Young's stock.

"Bryce Young's final 10 games, after he reclaimed the starting job, were certainly promising. He threw for 2,104 yards, 15 touchdowns, six interceptions, an 88.9 passer rating and had moments in which he looked like a viable starting NFL quarterback," Schwab admitted. "The danger is believing he has arrived just because he surpassed the very low bar he set through his first 18 NFL starts. However, it was night and day from the poor start to his career."

So, yes, Young certainly looked like a legitimate quarterback for a stretch long enough to convince everyone that he is one. However, a 10-game sample size is still pretty small, especially when stacked up against a full season and change of mediocre play at best and bad play at worst.

The outlook is certainly bright, but is that because the beginning of Young's career was so dark? Time will tell, and it will tell if Young's play was fluky, legitimate, or somewhere in the middle.

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