Bryce Young Explains Why The Carolina Panthers Are Having A 'Mini Christmas'

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jay Postrado | Last updated May 28, 2025 10:51 AM ET

There is still a lot of time before the NFL season kicks off. This means that teams are only getting acclimated to their new coaches and teammates who may have joined them through the draft, signings, or trades. A big beneficiary of this offseason has been the Dave Canales-led Carolina Panthers. Bryce Young knows this and was a bit ecstatic.

The Panthers have now started the third phase of their training before the NFL season. Coach Dave Canales and his coaching staff are playing 11-on-11 drills for the first time in the offseason. There is no one happier on the squad than Bryce Young as this stage commenced, via Mark Inabinett of AL.com.

“It’s like the beginning of Phase 3 is always a really fun thing. Like, you come back, it’s cool, Phase 1. The rookies come in; you get drafted. It’s a feeling-out process, and you see it on air. I think the first day of Phase 3 is kind of like that mini Christmas before training camp. You know, you’re actually playing football again. It’s full speed," the former Alabama Crimson Tide star said.

The young guns in the Panthers system who are jockeying for a starting position are Tetairoa McMillan, Jimmy Horn Jr., Lathan Ransom, Nic Scourton, Trevor Etienne, and Princely Umanmielen.

If all goes well for these young guns, Coach Canales could see them with the Alabama football signal-caller in the starting units for both the offense and defense. Young could be on to something here - the Panthers might have a fairly successful season if the Coach Canales-led camps bring about great chemistry.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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