Panthers QB Bryce Young's 2025 Breakout Came With Little to No Help

For years, the Carolina Panthers have struggled to give Bryce Young enough support. Even heading into 2026, the offense around Young is pretty lackluster when you glance around the NFL. He doesn't have ample weapons or an elite, unrivaled offensive line. The running backs are mediocre, too.

Still, despite that, Young had his best year in 2025 and is poised for more in 2026. The 2025 breakout was key for his future and the team's, and he did it by himself.

Bryce Young's breakout came without elite support from the Panthers

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) throws in front of head coach Dave Canales | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Bryce Young's career year may not have been the most statistically impressive, but it was a big jump for him and the Panthers. And based on this PFF article outlining the QBs who got the most help, it's clear that Young did it almost by himself.

It's true that Tetairoa McMillan was the Offensive Rookie of the Year, and he was quite good. When healthy towards the end of the year, Jalen Coker was good, too. Rico Dowdle had a run in the middle of the year that won't soon be forgotten.

But otherwise, the offense around Young was incredibly lackluster. He put together a career year without getting a ton of help in any way. His supporting cast was not listed among the best that PFF graded for this article.

The top overall receiving grades don't include the Panthers. Carolina's not present in the top rushing grades, either, which is perhaps the biggest indictment. The Panthers wanted to run the ball to make life easy on Young, but they couldn't even do that.

They had a good offensive line, though, right? Sure, but not enough to really carry Young. They didn't place in the top-graded pass-blocking teams, either. Young wasn't aided in any of the categories that PFF analyst Daire Carragher listed.

Coaching isn't graded like on-field performance is, but the Panthers would not have placed there, either. Dave Canales had his moments, but he was rigid and unwilling to adjust far too often. His gameplans worked plenty, but when they didn't, he wasn't ready to adapt and change.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) during the first day of mini camp | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The playcalling was sometimes baffling, and the occasional refusal to let Young throw deep was surprising, too. Overall, the offensive coaching for Young was not great, so it's not as if he was schemed to success.

No, Young did it all on his own. He's had to carry an absurd amount of the offensive weight in his three NFL seasons. he hasn't done it well for over half of that time, but in 2025, He absolutely did, and he did it with more help than usual but without the kind of support that makes great QBs.

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