Oct 1, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Frank Reich with quarterback Bryce Young (9) in the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Ex-Panthers coach Frank Reich opens up on fraught partnership with Bryce Young

Originally posted on Carolina Panthers on SI
By Zach Roberts | Last updated Aug 20, 2025 7:49 AM ET

It is not out of the question to place some of the blame for Bryce Young's rocky rookie season on Frank Reich. The head coach was hired to pair with Young, and instead, he was fired after just 11 games that bordered on utter disaster. It was a really bad pairing, one that both have struggled to recover from.

Reich was part of a supposed All-Star offensive cast of coaches that was supposed to help Young overcome the roster deficiencies, partly due to the haul the Carolina Panthers traded for him. That didn't happen, and an unproven rumor around the time even suggested that Reich refused to incorporate RPOs to help Young. Now, Reich is looking back at that stressful tenure.

Frank Reich admits failure with Bryce Young

Frank Reich walked into a difficult situation, admittedly. He had a team desperate to be good, so desperate, in fact, that they gutted the roster and coaching staff to bring in Frank Reich and Bryce Young.

"I felt the challenge of this [taking over a team with problems to solve], but I wasn't worried about it and we felt it's going to work out," Reich said via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. "We've got good coaches; Bryce is a good player. We have good players and we will get draft picks right. [Owner David] Tepper will invest in the team and make the moves."

Reich said he felt that it would take a little bit longer for the Panthers to get Young to where he needed to be, but the coaching staff couldn't coalesce on how to get the QB there. That, as well as the lack of support on the roster itself, made 2023 a disaster.

"I don't know if that ultimately ended up being fair to Bryce," Reich said about the different coaching philosophy. "It wasn't because of Thomas [Brown]. He brought an 'A' game every day. Myself and the other guys that were with me, we were doing the same thing. In many respects, we brought it together the best we could. It probably made it a little more difficult for Bryce."

Reich also admitted that he knew Young had the mental toughness to withstand hard coaching, but he also didn't want to coach him hard because he knew the rookie QB was taking a genuine beating out on the field.

"Learning the pro game ... defenses are a lot better. There are no easy games," Reich added. "You have to earn every completion, every first down, every touchdown, every win. The ultimate formula for success is great quarterback play and a great defense. But I also do think if you have a legit No. 1 guy who is special, I think early on you want a couple of weapons [that] can show how he's special. And obviously you have to protect him."

The Panthers didn't do that, nor did they provide rookie Bryce Young with the right coaching staff, obviously. However, that seems to be the case now, as Young has a good thing with Dave Canales and appears to finally have both weapons and protection.

This article first appeared on Carolina Panthers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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