Bryce Young 'doing Fantastic' in Panthers' New Offense, said Panthers New Head Coach Dave Canales

Typically, when a team secures the number one pick in the NFL Draft, it reflects its struggles, often stemming from a series of injuries, coaching changes, draft missteps, and free agency signings that didn’t work out or didn’t happen over the past couple of years. 

So when Bryce Young went number one to the Carolina Panthers, it was clear that it wouldn't be an easy road for him during his rookie season. What happened to Young can best be described as getting stuck in a blizzard for 17 weeks of NFL football.

In his first season with the Panthers, Young went from being cut some slack for playing for a bad team to the perception around the NFL that the Panthers had drafted a bust with the number one pick. 

Young threw for just 2,877 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions for a quarterback rating of 73.7.

Following the season, the Panthers did the right thing and did not give up on their first-round draft pick when they went out and hired one of the NFL’s up-and-coming quarterbacks whispers, who in the past had helped   Baker Mayfield, Russell Wilson, and Geno Smith have career seasons.

Enter new Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales, who may be the perfect combination of coach, therapist, and cheerleader that Bryce Young needs to get his career on track.

From an arm strength perspective and ability to read defenses, Young certainly has the tools to be successful. Still, like in most things in life, sometimes you just need to be in the right situation early in your career, which in the NFL often means having the right coaches in place to help you learn your craft.

While it is way too early to tell if Young is on the right track, his new head coach thinks he is.

"He's doing fantastic with it," Canales said Monday after the first full day of voluntary workouts. "So, for us the formations are pretty vanilla so we can just teach the concept we want out of each route, the depth, the footwork we want.

"As I expect him to do, he's really mastered that part of it."

"Really, it's the consistency he has," Young said of Canales. "He has a very calming presence. He's someone you can have a conversation with, talk with. Good, bad or indifferent, you can tell there's an emphasis on teaching. At times, of course, we're passionate. With coaches there's a lot of yelling, a lot of emotion.

"His style is very [positive]. He wants to make sure he communicates. It's not just, 'Oh, that's a bad throw' or 'You missed.' It's constructive. If you miss something or do something wrong, it gives you something tangible to, 'Hey, let's get our base in order.' It's something you can think about and apply. It's been really good for me."

Young clearly needed a change after a rookie season in which he ranked 29th out of 30 qualified quarterbacks in Total QBR (33.4), 33rd in completion percentage 59.8%.  

"They do a great job of having a clear reason for things," Young said. "Whether it's fundamental or scheme, you can tell there's a lot of thought, when we talk about things, how we talk about things."

"Deep balls, short, intermediate, he's a really accurate passer," Canales said. "One of the things I really love is I can really focus on the footwork, his base and the mechanics of where his eyes are at when I know the ball is hitting the receivers."

"I'm super excited to have new pieces," Young said. "Now, it's on us to put the work in, to build the chemistry, to get the reps on the field and make it translate."

THE UNDERRATED OPINION
Without drinking too much of the Panthers' Kool-Aid in mid-May, the Panthers really did the right thing by bringing in Canales, who, in his last two seasons, has turned around Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield's careers. 

Canales's more simplistic approach to playing quarterback in the NFL will, at the very least, give Young the opportunity for redemption during the 2024 season. I’m not saying the Panthers are going to the playoffs, but it would not surprise me if, in Week 15, they were still in the playoff picture, with any talk of Young being a bust a thing of the past.