Panthers' Dave Canales explains mindset of QB Bryce Young amid uncertainty

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young played well over his first two starts of the 2026 season after the Panthers elected to not sign him to a contract extension ahead of the campaign. 

The Panthers picked up the fifth-year option for 2027 attached to Young's contract, so the club technically doesn't need to do anything regarding his future anytime soon. After Young helped Carolina earn a 34-3 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Panthers head coach Dave Canales spoke with NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated about Carolina's QB1.

Dave Canales praises Bryce Young as a leader

"Bryce has a lot of joy in his face, a lot of joy in the process, in our offense as we continue to grow it and evolve it," Canales explained. "And I see him really just enjoying this moment with his teammates and leading. And he’s done that the entire time, whether he was playing or not. He’s never backed away from standing in front, high-fiving the guys coming into the locker room or coming off the field into the tunnel. He’s right there in the front. He wants them to know, 'I’m here, we’re all working on this together.' And he’s continuing to lead that way."

In Carolina's 59-37 Week 1 loss to the Chicago Bears, Young completed 23-of-37 passes for 361 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. On Sunday, he went 23-of-36 passing for 287 yards with three touchdowns and no picks in the blowout victory over Atlanta. 

According to ESPN stats, Young ended the weekend ranked second in the NFL with 648 passing yards, sixth with an 81.4 adjusted QBR and tied for first (three others) with six touchdown passes. 

Bryce Young is taking "ownership" of the Panthers offense? 

Canales seemingly isn't stunned by how Young played across the first eight quarters of Carolina's season. 

"It’s no surprise at all because of the games he’s had over the last couple of years, where, when he puts the whole game plan together and has that understanding and ownership and the playcaller’s intent, we’ve had amazing performances," Canales added about Young's outings. "But it’s the consistency of how it’s showing up now. And then I think the biggest thing to talk about is his ownership of what we’re doing. And what I’ve seen from him throughout this [summer] is a lot of conversations on the side with T-Mac [wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan], with [receiver Jalen Coker], with [receiver Xavier Legette]. [Darren Waller] shows up, [Tommy Tremble], the tight ends, the backs. It’s just becoming his because I see him fine-tuning what our concepts really are."

Young and the Panthers next play at the 1-1 Cleveland Browns on Sept. 27. As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Carolina as a 2.5-point road favorite for that game.