NFL exec, evaluator explain how Bryce Young has improved since benching

Many members of the NFL community assumed after first-year Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales benched second-year quarterback Bryce Young following the second game of this season that the Panthers would move on from Young either before the Nov. 5 trade deadline arrived or during the upcoming offseason. 

Young, however, has impressed with his performances across his last five starts after returning to the lineup. For a piece published Tuesday, one unnamed rival executive spoke with The Athletic's Jeff Howe about how the first pick of the 2023 NFL Draft has improved from where he was a few months ago. 

"The surprising thing before (the benching) was that he struggled to deal with pressure," the executive said. "That wasn’t an issue in college. He’s more confident now. He was taking a beating before. He seemed like a battered player. They’ve gotten better as an offense overall. Sitting down and coming back, he’s more confident in what he’s doing." 

Across his past five starts, Young completed 60.4 percent of his 169 pass attempts for 1,082 yards with six touchdowns, three interceptions and seven sacks taken. He also rushed for 82 yards and a score as he helped the Panthers earn a pair of wins to improve to 3-9 amid what was always going to be at least somewhat of a rebuilding season for the organization. 

The struggles Young endured from the opening week of his rookie campaign through this past September understandably caused some to wonder if he simply was "not physically ready to play in the NFL." In this past Sunday's 26-23 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he tossed what could've become a game-winning touchdown pass with 30 seconds remaining in regulation and looked like a 23-year-old capable of serving as a franchise's offensive CEO for years to come. 

"Bryce had a rough go, but it seems like he is starting to understand the offense. He’s getting protected a little better and being decisive," a different evaluator said about Young while chatting with Howe. "He did go No. 1 for a reason." 

Young will next face a significant challenge when the Panthers play at the 10-2 Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday. If he can keep Carolina in that game through the fourth quarter, he could silence those who still think he'll never become more than a serviceable signal-caller at the highest level.