How Panthers' Bryce Young is impressing teammates after rough season

Carolina Panthers tight end Tommy Tremble recently spoke about how second-year quarterback Bryce Young has impressed teammates via the confidence Young has flashed during springtime workouts. 

"He's still got that swag," Tremble said about Young, as shared by David Newton of ESPN. 

One unnamed coach suggested earlier this year that Young, the first overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, became overly cautious after he threw a pair of interceptions in his regular-season debut. Of course, that 24-10 loss at the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 10 proved to be the start of a rather tough campaign for both Young and the Panthers. 

Team owner David Tepper fired head coach Frank Reich on Nov. 27. Meanwhile, Pro-Football-Reference shows that Young finished the regular season ranked 30th out of 32 qualified players with a 33.4 adjusted QBR. At the conclusion of Week 18, Carolina held a woeful 2-15 record. 

This offseason, the Panthers hired former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales as their new head coach after Canales helped signal-caller Baker Mayfield become a Comeback Player of the Year candidate for the 2023 campaign. 

"He's throwing the ball with confidence,'' Tremble added about Young. "He's not worried about a thousand things like last year. You saw that deep ball to [wide receiver Adam Thielen]. He's having fun with it."

The Panthers gave Young additional help beyond Canales' guidance. Carolina signed guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis in free agency, traded for wide receiver Diontae Johnson and made wideout Xavier Legette the 32nd overall pick of this year's draft. Newton noted that Carolina also moved veteran guard Austin Corbett to center in an attempt to provide Young with needed protection. 

Only Sam Howell (65) took more sacks than Young (62) last season. 

"It's going to help him just because he's got a year under his belt,'' cornerback Jaycee Horn said about Young's ongoing development. "Your first year is kind of fast, and the second year, things slow down a lot. So weapons or not -- I don't really get into all that -- he's going to be a better player just because he's going into year two."

As of Wednesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Panthers' over/under win total for the 2024 season at 4.5. If Carolina fails to reach at least five wins with Young in the lineup, a coaching staff that didn't draft the 22-year-old may begin searching for a different long-term answer at the sport's most important position.